Off the ball, the skilful Algerian playmaker works as hard as anyone. With five goals and five assists, he's one of the main reasons why Metz sit pretty in seventh position heading into their Round 29 meeting with RC Lens.

'The coach has pushed me'

"We're playing well as a team this season," Boulaya explained to the Ligue 1 Show on beIN SPORTS. "And things are going well for me individually too. The coach has pushed me into a more central role. He's put a lot of faith in me, and that's really helped. They're the reasons why I'm having a good season."

Watch: Boulaya scored one and assisted another as Metz beat Lens 2-0 in the reverse fixture

Now 28, the midfielder born in Vitrolles in the south of France is playing the best football of his career. Boulaya turned down the chance to join Olympique de Marseille's youth academy as a boy, his family deciding the 20-kilometre commute was too far.

Yet that decision didn't prevent him from developing an exceptional technique.

'A decisive player'

"He's having an excellent season," contined Boulaya's coach, Frédéric Antonetti. "He's a decisive player, and his technique, creativity and his runs are really helping us. He still has things to learn, but he's having a very, very strong campaign."

The Ligue 1 Uber Eats Player of the Month for January, Boulaya is undoubtedly shining at Metz, but his early months at the club were far less impressive. Soon after arriving from SC Bastia in 2018, he was banished to the reserves after fluffing a Panenka penalty kick in the Coupe de France.

Everything changed, though, after the appointment of Antonetti.

"He's taught us a lot tactically," Boulaya explained of the 59-year-old tactician. "We work on positioning, finding space, picking the right pass, keeping the ball alive, and penetrating. He gives us confidence. I have some responsibility and I'm feeling good about that."

Rubbing shoulders with greats

Full of belief, Boulaya doesn't hesitate to show from range. Only Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes have had more attempts from outside the box in Europe's top five leagues per UEFA coefficient.

On average, Metz' No.10 completes 29 passes in the opposition half each game, and the team's attackers are reaping the rewards.

"My understanding with him gets better match after match," explained Aaron Leya Iseka. "I think that can only be a good thing for the team. He knows the attackers well and he's creating chances, which helps us to progress individually."

Boulaya now wants to consolidate his status as one of the league's leading playmakers by being decisive on a weekly basis. If he manages that, Metz could well realise their dream of qualifying for Europe via a fifth-place finish.