No one doubts the Spanish identity of Aymeric Laporte and, if anyone does, he couldn’t care less. That decision he made in 2021, which altered the family WhatsApp chat and sparked controversy in France, has worked out very well for him. Wearing the red jersey, he won two Nations League titles, played in two other finals, and was crowned European Champion. In the semifinal of this World Cup, he will face France, his country of birth and where his family lives. Laporte is Spanish by choice and now aims to be the executioner of those who never saw a place for him. Especially Didier Deschamps. Because the defender does not forget that the French coach called him a liar five years ago, when they crossed paths in the 2021 Nations League.
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The first bill was paid two summers ago, in Munich, in the Euro semifinal. Besides the goals from Lamine and Olmo, his defensive performance stood out: Ousmane Dembélé, Kylian Mbappé, and Randal Kolo Muani did not dribble past him. He won aerial duels, was 100% effective in his tackles to recover the ball, and Spain’s play started from his boots, with over 50 passes and 90% accuracy. And that despite his presence being questioned because he came after a complicated season at Saudi Al Nassr. Laporte, as always, took on the role of breaking lines with his passes so that Rodri, Fabián Ruiz, and Dani Olmo could progress. Now he shares that task with Pau Cubarsí. Today, in Dallas, his recipe for Spain is to do the same as in that match. “It will depend more on us than on them,” he warns.
Laporte was born in Agen, in the Aquitaine region, and played 52 matches with the French U-17, U-18, U-19, and U-21 teams. In some events, he started as a starter. At that time, he was already a player for Athletic, which had designed a convoluted maneuver to sign him when he was a 15-year-old cadet. He had gone to Lezama to play a tournament with an Aquitaine selection, and there he was spotted by scout Javier Arrieta.
Debut with Bielsa in 2012
A left-footed center-back, with stature and excellent ball distribution that convinced José Mari Amorrortu, director of Lezama. But first, a maneuver was needed because the boy had no Basque ancestors nor was his region considered within those of Basque influence. Athletic then sought a way for him to play at the affiliated club Aviron Bayonnais, so that his signing would come through his training at that French club. As a youth, he joined Lezama but tore his meniscus in a tournament right after arriving. There, according to his own confession, Unai Melgosa trained him to know how to play the ball out, with inside and between-the-lines passes, something that has become his strong point and that he knows is a risk “because a loss exposes you.” He barely passed through Juvenil B because, at 18, Marcelo Bielsa made him debut with the first team in a Europa League match against Israeli Hapoel Kiryat in November 2012.
At that time, he was only eligible for France, and Spain, world champion, with Carles Puyol, Sergio Ramos, or Raúl Albiol as center-backs, had not noticed him. Julen Lopetegui was the first to put him on the radar, but the first step was taken by Deschamps, who called him three times to the senior team between October 2016 and March 2017.
First in a window against Bulgaria and the Netherlands, but he did not play. He was called up against Albania and Andorra three years later, when he had already signed for Guardiola’s City, but did not debut due to injury. He was also called for another window, with Spain as the opponent, but again did not play. “He is always on the preliminary lists, but there is a lot of competition,” said Deschamps.
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Then interest from Luis Enrique arose, who called him to explain that he would be an essential piece in his game. Deschamps never replied to his messages. He preferred Umtiti, Kimpembe, or Upamecano. “I want to be with those who want me, not with those who don’t,” explained Laporte, who had already grown up as a Basque in Bilbao and had started the nationality process. They looked for the Basque great-grandfather but opted for ordinary naturalization after meeting the six-year residency requirement in Spain. In March 2020, the BOE published that he had obtained nationality. Luis Enrique, in the next international window in June, called him up. The noise exploded. “It hadn’t been done so much with other players. I coincided in France with 22 or 23 players who ended up representing another team without so much fuss,” the defender said in an interview with Radio Marca.
Laporte does not hold back, and in the first Spain-France clash in the 2021 Nations League final phase, he revealed that he had sent a message to Deschamps warning him of the RFEF offer and that he never replied. The coach’s reaction was to deny it. “I had the freedom to choose. What bothers me are some false things he said,” he recalled. However, the defender kept the pressure: “I have the message on my phone. Maybe he changed his number,” he joked. They have never spoken again.
The voices that questioned if there were no center-backs in Spain fell silent long ago. His commitment and numbers back him up. He leads the defensive contribution ranking, with 7.7 interventions per game, which has consolidated Spain on the podium of the best defenses in the tournament, but Laporte is much more.
He is the second player with the most completed passes, 298 (only surpassed by Rodri), with an average of 99.3% per game. The debate about Spain’s call-up is behind him. In every tournament, he buries doubts, although he must fight against “football interests.” “Sometimes it is more interesting to talk about one player than another. For example, I have appeared in all the ideal elevens, except one. When I asked why, they told me it was because I hadn’t given them a shirt. These are details that show that behind everything there are interests,” he explained. In recent days, a defiant response he gave in a press conference when asked why Spain could be champion has also gone viral. “And why not?” replied the defender, brave on the field and also off it.
