The pair struck their friendship when together at Villarreal. Goujon is now a free agent after being released by Barcelona over the summer.
He told the Mirror: "I witnessed Nico’s exponential growth up close and had a very different opinion than many at the time.
"People doubted he could become a top player, often pointing to his finishing as a weakness but that never concerned me.
"I always reassured him and told him to stay calm because I saw a complete player who worked tirelessly to improve.
"Any top-level coach in Europe would now use Nico as their starting striker if he was in their squad."
On their time with Villarreal, Goujon continued: "Nico seemed very down, didn’t have a driving license, barely socialised with team-mates and was very insecure about opening up to others due to fears of discrimination or his own insecurities.
"I couldn’t let that continue and offered to drive him home one day and then it became a daily routine.
"Over time, we built a bond, he improved his Spanish significantly, introduced me to his African music and we laughed a lot. He became himself again."
He also recalled: "We started hanging out almost every day, and that’s when everything changed, he barely suffered injuries afterwards.
"Even members of Villarreal’s staff noticed the difference, asking what I'd done.
"I simply helped him feel at home and that summer, I even visited his family in Ziguinchor, Senegal."
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