Victor Boniface has revealed he once considered walking away from football entirely after suffering repeated knee problems that cost him a dream move to AC Milan — www.isagoal.com reports.
According to GOAL, the Bayer Leverkusen forward explained that the Serie A giants pulled out of the deal when he failed his medical at San Siro.
The striker was lined up for a loan switch worth €5 million with a €24 million buy clause before Milan ended talks over concerns about his injury history.
Boniface admitted, “After my second ACL injury, I didn’t even want to play anymore because of the pain and everything I had gone through. I had almost given up.”
He also spoke about the personal toll, sharing that he lost his mother during the same period, which made the struggle even harder to overcome.
The 24-year-old had already battled two anterior cruciate ligament injuries, one in 2018-19 and another in 2020-21, both of which left lasting effects.
Despite the setbacks, he returned to Leverkusen last year and delivered an extraordinary debut campaign with 21 goals in 34 matches.
His performances helped Leverkusen secure a historic Bundesliga title, the DFB-Pokal, and reach the Europa League final.
Leverkusen’s sporting director Simon Rolfes confirmed Milan’s exit from negotiations, noting that the club could not overlook Boniface’s medical issues.
Reports suggest Milan have already turned their attention to Sporting CP striker Conrad Harder, though Rennes are also in the race for his signature.
This article was updated 3 days ago