Stoppila Sunzu

Stoppila Sunzu (born 22 June 1989), also known as Stophira Sunzu, is a Zambian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back. He scored the winning penalty kick for Zambia in the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations final.

Early life Stoppila Sunzu was born in Chingola and is the younger brother of Felix Sunzu and the son of Felix Sunzu Sr, a goalkeeper who was originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Club career

Early career He began his career with Afrisports of Kitwe. He was discovered at a U-16 tournament in Chambeshi, Zambia and he was referred to Afrisports.

He then joined Konkola Blades under a loan arrangement. After representing Zambia at the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup, the 19-year-old was invited for trials at the English side Reading. The Championship side was keen on securing him on a longer deal but due to work permit problems the move did not materialise.

TP Mazembe In 2010, Sunzu transferred to TP Mazembe of Democratic Republic of Congo. His registration to Zanaco was a loan from Afrisports and there was some initial dispute regarding his move to TP Mazembe but it was eventually resolved. With Mazembe, he won domestic titles as well as the 2010 CAF Champions League. In November 2012, he was shortlisted for the 2012 Africa-based Player of the Year award. In January 2013, he trained with Reading in the English Premier League with a view to being offered a contract. He returned to the 2013 African Cup of Nations without any contract being signed. Sunzu came to Reading on the premise of being a free agent, with his three-year contract expiring in December 2012. Moses Katumbi, president of TP Mazembe, accused Sunzu's handlers of lying to Reading about his contract stating that it does not expire until 2015.

Stints in France and China On 6 January 2014, Sunzu joined French Ligue 1 club Sochaux-Montbéliard along with his teammate Nathan Sinkala. He scored important goals but could not prevent the relegation of the French side to Ligue 2.

On 29 December 2014, Sunzu transferred to Chinese Super League side Shanghai Greenland Shenhua. He made his debut and scored his first goal for Shanghai Greenland Shenhua on 8 March 2015, in a 6–2 victory against city rivals Shanghai Shenxin.

Sunzu was loaned to Lille for one year on 28 July 2015. In his first season there, he made 16 appearances scoring twice. On 10 July 2016, he joined Lille permanently on a three-year contract, for an undisclosed fee.

In July 2017, he re-joined Arsenal Tula on loan for the 2017–18 season.

Metz

On 9 July 2018, he returned to France, signing a two-year contract with FC Metz. He made his league debut for the club on 30 July 2018, playing all ninety minutes in a 1–0 away victory over Stade Brest. He scored his first competitive goal for the club on 19 October 2018 in a 3–0 league victory over Chamois Niortais. His goal, assisted by Marvin Gakpa, was scored in the 80th minute.

Shijiazhuang Ever Bright In the 2019–20 winter transfer period, Sunzu left Metz to join Chinese Super League side Shijiazhuang Ever Bright.

Jinan Xingzhou On 21 April 2023, Sunzu joined China League One side Jinan Xingzhou.

Return to Cangzhou Mighty Lions On 29 February 2024, Sunzu rejoined Chinese Super League club Cangzhou Mighty Lions (previous name of Shijiazhuang Ever Bright).

Changchun Yatai On 28 June 2024, Sunzu joined Chinese Super League club Changchun Yatai. Two days later, he made his debut for the club in a 5-0 home win against Qingdao Hainiu.

International career Sunzu represented his country at the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada. In that tournament, Zambia defeated an Uruguayan side that featured Luis Suárez and Edinson Cavani.

He made his full international debut against Botswana in a 2009 African Championship of Nations qualifier.

Sunzu scored the winning penalty of the penalty shoot-out in the final of the 2012 African Cup of Nations against Ivory Coast, which Zambia won 8–7.

In October 2013, due to a disagreement between their club TP Mazembe and the Zambian Football Association over international call-ups, Sunzu and two other players (Nathan Sinkala and Rainford Kalaba) were the subject of a Zambian arrest warrant. All three players later had their passports confiscated by Zambian immigration authorities, before being pardoned by the Zambian government.

In December 2025, Sunzu was named in Zambia's squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations; this marked his sixth Africa Cup of Nations appearance, thereby equaling the participation record of Zambian players held by Kalusha Bwalya and Kennedy Mweene.

Career statistics Club

International

Scores and results list Zambia's goal tally first.

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

Honours Zanaco Zambian Premier League: 2009

TP Mazembe Super Ligue: 2011 CAF Champions League: 2010 CAF Super Cup: 2010, 2011

Zambia Africa Cup of Nations: 2012

Individual CAF Team of the Year: 2012