Super Eagles forward Victor Boniface has been nominated for the Bundesliga Rookie of the season following a brilliant debut campaign for Bayer Leverkusen.
He has been nominated alongside Chelsea loanee Ian Maatsen, who has done well for Borussia Dortmund since joining the club in January, RB Leipzig Xavi Simons, also on loan from PSG and Hoffenheim forward Maximilian Beier.
Boniface has been a four-time recipient of the monthly version of the award which he won in August, September, October and November respectively after notching seven goals and five assists in his first 12 games.
He was also in contention for the Golden Boot earlier on in the campaign alongside VfB Stuttgart forward Serhou Guirassy and Tottenham icon Harry Kane with the England international now on course to end the season as top scorer.
The 23-year-old rapid start to life in the Bundesliga was affected by an injury which also made him miss out on representing the Super Eagles at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
He has four goal contributions since he returned from his long lay off last month, and has now taken his tally to 13 goals and nine assists for the season.
Should the former Royale Union Saint-Gilloise striker score a hat-trick on the last matchday, he will overtake Taiwo Awoniyi as the outright highest scoring Nigerian ever in a Bundesliga campaign.
Olaitan Ibrahim