FC Metz defender Stoppila Sunzu has spoken about his relationship with John Boye.

The Zambian is close friends with the Ghanaian international away from football, and on the pitch the pair form a formidable partnership.

They duo have been instrumental for newly crowned Ligue II champions, conceding the fewest goals (22) in the division to make a return to the top flight and Sinzu believes their friendship helped a lot in that regard.

“Before we ended up in Metz, we had already played against each other when, with Zambia, we had rubbed against Ghana. I remember in particular a semifinal of the African Cup of Nations in 2012. We had imposed one to zero before winning the final against Ivory Coast,” Sunzu said.

“John (Boye) is a very good friend. Often we go out and eat together. He adores me and I love him too (laughs) . I’m really happy to play with him. It’s really easy to evolve with him. We get along very well in the field and we communicate in English because it’s not easy to speak French when we run (laughs),” he added.