Stoppila Sunzu

Stoppila Sunzu
Stoppila Sunzu
Born	June 22, 1989 (age 37); Chingola, Zambia
Other names	Stophira Sunzu
Occupation	Professional footballer
Years active	2007–present
Known for	Scoring winning penalty in 2012 Africa Cup of Nations final

Stoppila Sunzu (born 22 June 1989), also referred to as Stophira Sunzu, is a Zambian professional football player who operates primarily as a centre-back for the Chinese Super League team Changchun Yatai. He gained prominence by converting the decisive penalty that secured victory for the Zambian national team in the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations final.

Early life

Stopilla Sunzu was born in Chingola and is the younger sibling of Felix Sunzu. Their father, Felix Sunzu Sr, was a goalkeeper originally hailing from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Early career

Sunzu’s football journey began at Afrisports in Kitwe, where he was discovered during an under-16 tournament held in Chambeshi, Zambia. Subsequently, he went on loan to Konkola Blades. Following his participation with Zambia at the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup, the then 19-year-old underwent trials with English club Reading. Although the Championship side showed interest in signing him, complications related to work permits prevented the transfer. In September 2008, he secured a loan move to Châteauroux, returning to Zanaco FC after that season concluded in June 2009.

TP Mazembe

In 2010, Sunzu moved to TP Mazembe based in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Since his registration with Zanaco was on loan from Afrisports, initial disagreements arose concerning his transfer to Mazembe, but these issues were eventually resolved. While at Mazembe, he achieved domestic triumphs and was part of the squad that won the 2010 CAF Champions League. During the club’s opening fixture at the 2010 FIFA Club World Cup, he received a red card. In November 2012, Sunzu was nominated for the 2012 Africa-based Player of the Year award. He trained with Premier League outfit Reading in January 2013 with hopes of securing a contract but departed without an agreement. Although Sunzu presented himself as a free agent following the expiration of his three-year contract in December 2012, TP Mazembe’s president Moses Katumbi insisted that his contract extended until 2015 and accused Sunzu’s representatives of providing false information to Reading. The matter was resolved by February 2013.

Periods in France and China

On 6 January 2014, Sunzu signed for French top-tier club Sochaux-Montbéliard, joining alongside teammate Nathan Sinkala. Despite contributing important goals, he could not prevent Sochaux from being relegated to Ligue 2.

Sunzu transferred to Chinese Super League side Shanghai Greenland Shenhua on 29 December 2014. He made his debut and netted his first goal on 8 March 2015 during a commanding 6–2 victory over local rivals Shanghai Shenxin.

On 28 July 2015, Sunzu joined French club Lille on a one-year loan deal. During his initial season, he featured in 16 matches and scored twice. Subsequently, on 10 July 2016, he committed to Lille permanently by signing a three-year contract for an undisclosed transfer fee.

Arsenal Tula loans

Sunzu agreed to a loan move with Russian Premier League side FC Arsenal Tula on 3 February 2017 for the remainder of the 2016–17 campaign. Despite earlier reports suggesting a permanent transfer from Lille, Arsenal Tula clarified that his registration rights remained with Shanghai Greenland Shenhua, from whom they had arranged the loan.

In July 2017, Sunzu extended his loan spell at Arsenal Tula for the entire 2017–18 season.

Metz

On 9 July 2018, Sunzu committed to a two-year deal with FC Metz. He made his first appearance on 30 July 2018, completing the entire match in a 1–0 away triumph against Stade Brest. His inaugural goal for Metz came on 19 October 2018 during a 3–0 league win over Chamois Niortais, with an assist from Marvin Gakpa.

Shijiazhuang Ever Bright

During the winter transfer window of the 2019–20 season, Sunzu departed Metz to join Shijiazhuang Ever Bright in the Chinese Super League.

Jinan Xingzhou

Sunzu signed for China League One club Jinan Xingzhou on 21 April 2023.

Return to Cangzhou Mighty Lions

On 29 February 2024, he returned to the Chinese Super League by rejoining Cangzhou Mighty Lions, the new name of Shijiazhuang Ever Bright.

Changchun Yatai

Sunzu's transfer to Changchun Yatai, another Chinese Super League team, was finalized on 28 June 2024. He made his debut two days later in a commanding 5–0 home victory over Qingdao Hainiu.

International career

Sunzu represented Zambia at the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup held in Canada, where the team achieved a notable victory against Uruguay, featuring players such as Luis Suárez and Edinson Cavani. His senior national team debut occurred during a qualifier for the 2009 African Championship of Nations against Botswana.

He successfully converted the winning penalty in the shootout of the 2012 African Cup of Nations final, clinching Zambia’s triumph over Ivory Coast with an 8–7 scoreline.

In October 2013, a conflict involving TP Mazembe and the Zambian Football Association regarding international call-ups led to arrest warrants issued for Sunzu and his teammates Nathan Sinkala and Rainford Kalaba. Their passports were seized by Zambian immigration authorities before they were ultimately granted amnesty by the government.

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club

Season

League

National cup

League cup

Continental

Other

Total

Division

Apps

Goals

Apps

Goals

Apps

Goals

Apps

Goals

Apps

Goals

Apps

Goals

Châteauroux (loan)

2008–09

Ligue 2

0

—

0

TP Mazembe

2010

Linafoot

—

11

0

11

10

2011

—

11

0

1

0

12

0

2012

—

11

0

—

11

0

2013

—

0

2013–14

—

0

Total

—

33

0

1

0

34

0

Sochaux

2013–14

Ligue 1

17

4

1

0

—

18

4

2014–15

Ligue 2

10

0

—

10

0

Total

27

4

1

0

—

28

4

Shanghai Shenhua

2015

Chinese Super League

13

1

0

13

1

Lille (loan)

2015–16

Ligue 1

12

1

0

3

1

—

16

2

Lille B (loan)

2016–17

CFA 2

3

0

—

3

0

Lille

2016–17

Ligue 1

4

0

1

0

5

0

Arsenal Tula (loan)

2016–17

Russian Premier League

13

०

—

1

०

14

०

2017–18

28

२

1

०

—

29

२

Total

41

२

१

०

—

१

०

४३

२

FC Metz

२०१८-१९ FC Metz season

Ligue २

३६

२

३

०

३

०

—

४२

२

२०१९-२० FC Metz season

Ligue १

१७

०

१

०

—

१८

०

Total

५३

२

३

०

४

०

—

६०

२

Shijiazhuang Ever Bright F.C. /
Cangzhou Mighty Lions F.C.

२०२० Chinese Super League

Chinese Super League

१९

४

०

—

१९

४

२०२१ Chinese Super League

२२

२

१

०

- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |-

(Note: The table has been streamlined by omitting redundant markup and unused columns for enhanced clarity while retaining essential professional statistics.)

International goals

Zambia's goal count is listed first in the scorelines.

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Final result	Competition
1.	12 August 2009	Brisbane Stadium, London, England	Template:Fb	1–2	1–4	Friendly match
2.	25 October 2009	Barbourfields Stadium, Bulawayo, Zambia	Template:Fb	1–0	1–0	2009 COSAFA Cup
3.	11 January 2012	Rand Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa	Template:Fb	1–0	1–1	Friendly encounter
4.	4 February 2012	Estadio de Bata, Bata, Equatorial Guinea	Template:Fb	1–0	3–0	2012 Africa Cup of Nations
5.	10 October 2018	Levy Mwanawasa Stadium, Ndola, Zambia	Template:Fb	1–0	2–1	2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
6.	23 March 2024	Bingu National Stadium, Lilongwe, Malawi	Template:Fb	1–0	2–2 (5–6 p)	2024 Four Nations Football Tournament

Honours

Zanaco

Zambian Premier League Champion: 2009

TP Mazembe

Super Ligue Title: 2011
CAF Champions League Winner: 2010
CAF Super Cup Victories: 2010, 2011

Zambia National Team

Africa Cup of Nations Champion: 2012

Individual Awards

Named in the CAF Team of the Year: 2012

External links