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Aymeric Laporte (30) over the course of multiple seasons, firstly with Athletic Bilbao and then later with Manchester City, was highly consistent.
However, his performances at club level, in La Liga, the Premier League, and in the UEFA Champions League did not lead to call-ups for the France national team. Despite featuring prominently for Les Bleus at youth level, he did not earn a single cap for the senior side. Given his prominence at one of Europe’s top clubs, Manchester City, his persistent omission from Didier Deschamps’ plans was a surprise.
Laporte, regularly snubbed by France, then made the decision to represent Spain at international level. He made his debut for La Roja back in June 2021 and has since gone on to make 37 appearances. He played a prominent role in guiding Spain to winning Euro 2024 in Germany earlier this year.
Speaking on RMC Sport programme Rothen s’enflamme, Laporte has now revealed that it was his difficult relationship with Deschamps that led him to change his international allegiance. “We had talks that weren’t necessarily the nicest. The personal relationship didn’t work. The years went by and the manager stayed the same [at France] so I made this choice,” he said.
Laporte added, “It’s over. I don’t think about it anymore. Everyone has their own path.” Having been on the verge of making an appearance for Les Bleus, having featured in three matchday squads between 2016 and 2017, it is a question of what could have been.
GFFN | Luke Entwistle