Football News: Aymeric Laporte’s Euro 2024 Journey with Spain
Aymeric Laporte, the Al Nassr defender, has cemented his place in Spain’s squad for the upcoming Euro 2024 in Germany. Despite his recent move away from Manchester City, Laporte remains a regular fixture in La Roja’s lineup, having been named in their squad and slated to start as one of the team’s main two centre-backs.
This will be Laporte’s second European Championship representing his adopted country, having been called up by Luis de la Fuente. The 32-year-old centre-back’s international journey has been an intriguing one, as he previously played for the France under-17 and under-21 teams, accumulating 51 youth appearances. However, he never earned a senior cap for Les Bleus, despite being called up by manager Didier Deschamps on two occasions.
“Of course, I don’t think it’s because of a sporting issue, you’d have to ask him [Deschamps] personally. I don’t have anything personal against him, but if someone has a problem it’s him and not me. I could be a world champion but these are the decisions of the coach, who is not calling me for, I think, personal reasons, and I have to respect him.”
In March 2021, Laporte’s international fortunes changed when he was approached by Spain to make the switch from France. Born in the French Basque Country, Laporte was eligible to play for La Roja after being granted a Spanish passport. Former Spain manager Luis Enrique convinced Laporte to make the switch, and just two months after the initial approach, he was granted Spanish nationality.
Despite facing some backlash for his decision to switch allegiances, Laporte’s choice has proven to be a fruitful one, as he now stands as a key figure in Spain’s squad for the upcoming Euro 2024 tournament.
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