Super Eagles striker Victor Boniface put his money where his mouth is, announcing a N1.5 million giveaway for Arsenal fans moments after the Gunners were confirmed Premier League champions for the first time in 22 years.
Victor Boniface did not just celebrate Arsenal’s Premier League title from the sidelines. The Bayer Leverkusen striker, a lifelong Gunners fan, pulled out his wallet for the occasion, pledging N1.5 million for fans on X after Manchester City’s 1-1 draw with Bournemouth on Tuesday night sealed the title for Mikel Arteta’s side, according to FootballInNigeria.com.ng.
Boniface had been tracking the City versus Bournemouth match in real time, sharing his reactions as the drama unfolded. When Eli Junior Kroupi put Bournemouth ahead in the first half and Erling Haaland’s late equaliser proved too little too late for City, Boniface erupted. He coordinated the giveaway with popular Nigerian rapper Odumodublvck, who had pledged N1 million of his own. Boniface announced he would add N1.5 million on top, asking an Arsenal fan to drop an account number so the combined pot could be shared. He later posted a screenshot confirming payment had gone out.
How Arsenal Became Champions
Arsenal’s title win ended a 22-year wait that stretches back to the legendary “Invincibles” campaign of 2003-04 under Arsene Wenger. That was a team that went the entire league season unbeaten, a feat never matched before or since in English top-flight football. Two members of Arteta’s current squad, Max Dowman and Myles Lewis-Skelly, had not even been born when that title was won.
The Gunners had come agonisingly close over the previous three seasons, finishing second each time. Critics spent much of this campaign targeting their style, branding them a “set-piece team.” Arteta’s side paid little attention. When City slipped up against Everton to gift Arsenal momentum, the Gunners never looked back. Fans who backed the Gunners all season through a Bet9ja account can now get in on their next wager using the Bet9ja referral code ahead of the Champions League final.
Arsenal will now travel to Crystal Palace on the final day of the season as confirmed champions. A trophy lift on the road is a fitting end to a campaign built on resilience. And an even bigger prize awaits at the end of the month, with the Gunners facing Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League final on May 30, chasing the one major honour that has always eluded the club.
Boniface’s Arsenal Loyalty Runs Deep
Boniface’s passion for Arsenal is not new and not performative. On the Obi One Podcast with John Obi Mikel, the striker put it plainly: he has supported Arsenal his whole life. Mikel, on the same show, explained that his own Arsenal love grew from watching Nwankwo Kanu represent the club, a reminder that the relationship between Nigeria and Arsenal runs through generations.
For Boniface personally, the past year has been anything but easy. Knee surgery in January 2026 disrupted a loan spell at Werder Bremen and kept him out of Nigeria’s squads for extended periods. He had previously spoken openly about depression on social media, a candid admission that drew widespread support from fans. But on Tuesday night, all that was set aside. Arsenal winning the league was the kind of moment Boniface had waited years for, and he celebrated it the only way a man of his means could. Arsenal fans who want to mark the title win with a wager of their own can check the latest Bet9ja promo code before Sunday’s trophy presentation at Selhurst Park.
Nigerian Football and Arsenal: A Long Love Affair
The connection between Nigerian football and Arsenal goes well beyond Boniface. Nwankwo Kanu, one of Nigeria’s greatest ever players, lifted the FA Cup and two league titles with the Gunners in the late 1990s and early 2000s. His presence at Highbury shaped an entire generation of Nigerian fans, including Mikel, who admitted on the podcast that Kanu was the reason he grew up cheering for Arsenal. The tradition clearly runs all the way through to Boniface, who grew up watching a club that Nigerian footballers had made their own.
New Bet9ja users looking to celebrate the Gunners’ title can take advantage of the Bet9ja’s current promo code before the Champions League final at the end of May.
📌 Did You Know?
- Arsenal’s last Premier League title before this season came in 2003-04, when they went the entire campaign unbeaten, earning them the “Invincibles” tag. No English top-flight team has replicated that feat since.
- Victor Boniface won the Bundesliga Rookie of the Season award in 2023-24, the same campaign where he scored 14 league goals and helped Bayer Leverkusen win their first-ever Bundesliga title.
- Boniface has scored 32 goals and provided 12 assists in 61 appearances for Bayer Leverkusen, making him the most productive Nigerian player in the club’s history by those combined numbers.
- Nwankwo Kanu, the Nigerian legend who made Arsenal a beloved club for an entire generation of Nigerian fans, won the FA Cup twice and one Premier League title with the Gunners between 1999 and 2004.
- Arsenal are chasing an unprecedented domestic-and-European double this season, with a Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain scheduled for May 30, which would be the club’s first-ever European Cup triumph if they win it.
- Boniface had previously given away N1 million to a fan in April 2026 after opening up about depression on X, showing a pattern of using social media platforms not just for outrage or promotion but for genuine acts of generosity toward supporters.
- Odumodublvck, the Nigerian rapper who co-triggered Tuesday’s giveaway with his own N1 million pledge, is one of the most-streamed Afrobeats acts of 2025-26 and is known for his loyalty to Nigerian football culture.
