Aymeric Laporte to face country of birth in semi-final showdown
Former youth coach reflects on journey from France youths to Spain seniors
Athletic Club defender has formed formidable partnership with Pau Cubarsi
On the eve of the mouth-watering semi-final between and , Aymeric Laporte is gearing up for a rendezvous with his past. Despite having been born in the southwestern French town of Agen, where he took his first steps in the game, and having captained all of his country’s youth national teams, the towering defender has been a mainstay of the La Roja set-up since switching international allegiances in May 2021.
Laporte’s journey started out at his hometown team, where he caught the eye of the talent spotters from Athletic Club’s famed Lezama academy when he was 15. However, UEFA rules meant that the promising prospect would only be able to up sticks to Spain once he had turned 16. As a result, the prodigy strutted his stuff for Aviron Bayonnais, formerly the Basque giants’ feeder club, for a season before making the cross-border switch in May 2010.
After checking in at San Mames, Laporte represented Basconia, Los Leones’ third string, in the fourth tier of Spanish football, before turning out for the club’s reserve side. His assured displays at the heart of defence led Marcelo Bielsa – another blast from the past with whom he has collided during Spain’s World Cup 2026 campaign – to hand him his first-team debut in November 2012. In short, Laporte’s backstory would turn out to be a case of the boy born in the French Basque Country who forged a career for himself in Spain.
Despite having earned his stripes on Spanish soil at club level, the rising star continued to represent the country of his birth at youth level, progressing through the various age groups and making waves at the 2011 instalment of the FIFA U-17 World Cup™ in Mexico, where Les Bleuets were ousted by the hosts – and eventual champions – in the quarter-finals.
The man in the French dugout at that youth showpiece, Patrick Gonfalone, recalls Laporte as being somewhat of a raw gem: “I’d been told there was a young French lad who was starting to make a name for himself at Athletic Club. When I first clapped eyes on him at U-16 level, he was still an academy player. He was clearly talented, but he was far from the finished article.”
The experienced Tunis-born tactician pointed to a pair of Laporte’s standout qualities: “The one thing I really liked about him was his footballing IQ. His reading of the game was outstanding, and his anticipation was second to none. His passing was another major strength. He had a wand of a left foot and could play out from the back with his accurate passes and superb cross-field balls.”
Despite all of the plaudits, Gonfalone noted that some areas of Laporte’s game required a little fine-tuning. “His main Achilles heel was dealing with balls played over the top. He wasn’t the quickest off the mark and at times struggled when the opposition got in behind at pace,” he noted.
The classy centre-back continued to earn rave reviews at San Mames, with his easy-on-the-eye style making him a perfect fit for Spanish football. Capable of breaking the lines thanks to his passing ability and a more than willing participant in the build-up phase, he became one of the first names on the team sheet at Athletic Club before landing a move to Manchester City in January 2018.
Under Pep Guardiola’s tutelage, he continued to hone his craft and secured a host of silverware, most notably capturing the UEFA Champions League in 2023. After calling time on his five-and-a-half-year spell on the blue side of Manchester and enjoying a subsequent stint at Saudi outfit Al Nassr, where he shared a dressing room with , the prodigal son returned to Athletic Club last summer.
Between his two rip-roaring spells for Los Leones came a game-changing decision in his international career. Although he was called up by Didier Deschamps on three occasions between 2016 and 2017, the elegant centre-back failed to get a taste of match action for Les Bleus. After securing Spanish nationality in 2021, he swapped blue for red, and made himself available for his adopted homeland.
“When I switched allegiances, I came in for a lot of flak, which is understandable, but I’d talked it over with my family, and I was in no doubt. Everything has worked out well, which I’m delighted about,” he explained in an interview posted on the Spanish Football Association’s social media account to mark his 50th cap for the Iberians, a milestone he achieved in the nail-biting in the last 16 in Dallas.
In view of his on-field attributes, Gonfalone revealed that Laporte’s decision to represent La Roja came as anything but a surprise. “I’d always said to myself that the Spanish national team’s style would suit him down to the ground. Spanish sides tend to focus on possession football and intricate passing moves, which really plays to his strengths,” he explained.
Five years on from his national-team debut, the seasoned defender has established himself as a key cog in the Spanish system. Indeed, he has started in all six of La Roja’s assignments on North American soil, forming a virtually impenetrable centre-back pairing with the fresh-faced . The duo have played a pivotal role as Luis de la Fuente’s troops have established the meanest backline at the tournament, having been breached just once so far.
Laporte is in line to earn his 53rd cap for the 2010 world champions when they return to Dallas on 14 July, a tally that would eclipse his total for the French youth sides by two. The 32-year-old will relish the task of shackling the embarrassment of attacking riches raring to fire his motherland a step closer to glory. You can bet your bottom dollar that he will be giving every last ounce alongside his adopted band of brothers to repay the faith shown in him by a national team that have enabled him to perform on the game’s most prestigious stage.
“Getting to a World Cup semi-final is something you dream about as a kid. We hope to put in a great performance,” Laporte told French media outlet M6 after . The Agen-born ace will be aiming for the same outcome as the previous last-four bout between the European heavyweights at a major tournament. The Spanish ran out 2-1 victors over the French at UEFA EURO 2024 before beating England by the same scoreline in the final. Lightning couldn’t strike twice, could it?
Sources: FIFA Official
