In the hours after Spain defeated England in the Euro 2024 final, Aymeric Laporte went on Twitter/X in the changing rooms inside the Olympic Stadium in Berlin and posted ‘El resto es historia (The rest is history)’ alongside three screenshots of reporting around him from the Spanish media.
Those reports from earlier in the year argued that Laporte shouldn’t be on the national team after his move to Saudi Arabia but here he was as a European champion, having played every minute of Spain’s knockout games in Germany.
‘Laporte’s connection with Spain: he disappeared from the elite by going to Saudi Arabia and he’s at the Euros,’ read a headline from El Confidencial. ‘Laporte’s flashy dodging,’ was the opinion of columnist Alfredo Relano.
Speaking from Riyadh, where Laporte plays for Al Nassr, the 30-year-old opens up to Mail Sport and reveals how he ‘kept the receipts’ as fuel.
‘There are always people who talk too much in life. Before the Euros, so many people doubted my capacity to play these kinds of games just because I went to Saudi,’ he says.
Aymeric Laporte says he proved Spanish media wrong after winning the Euros this summer
‘They have to remember that I am a professional and super competitive. If you are competitive and want to achieve big things, you try your hardest to reach the highest level. It was a reminder to everyone. People like me and N’Golo Kante (who plays for Al-Ittihad) proved in the Euros that we can keep our level and more,’ adds Laporte.
One of the screenshots was a Spanish pundit claiming that he saw Laporte play and told the Spain coach that he may be fit enough to play in Saudi Arabia, but not enough to play in the Euros.
Laporte stresses that perhaps the doubt comes from prejudice. He has himself been vocal about adapting to life in Saudi where ‘the traffic is very busy’ and ‘the weather is very hot’ but insists the quality of the league is improving.
That sense of prejudice is something that he is more familiar to than most – he was born in Agen, France and represented France at youth level before notably making the switch to play for Spain in 2021 through his Basque heritage.
He is confident he made the right call then after falling out with Didier Deschamps and since leaving Manchester City for the Saudi Pro League in August 2023 for £23.6M, the centre-half is convinced he made ‘the right decision at the right time.’
The defender insists that his level has not dropped despite his move to Saudi Arabia last year
‘The decision to leave City was so hard,’ Laporte admits. ‘But I saw it coming – there were new signings every year in my position like Ruben Dias.
‘We played three at back and I was on the left, which was not my best position and I always felt more confident in the centre. And after I had a few injuries, the relationship with the manager (Pep) was never the same. In the space of a few days that summer, everything changed.’
Laporte won 15 trophies at Man City including the Treble in his final season but fell down the pecking order in that campaign, playing just 24 of the 61 games.
‘I’m a competitive guy and want to play every single week – that’s normal for a big player,’ he says. ‘Of course I miss the Premier League. I still had two years left on my contract so I could have stayed but I left because i didn’t want to be on the bench. You have to make these big decisions and I was desperate to play,’ stresses Laporte.
During his five-year spell in Manchester where he won five Premier League titles, Laporte’s win percentage of 81 per cent is unmatched.
Amongst all players to have played at least 100 Premier League games, it is the highest while his average of conceding 0.66 goals per 90 minutes in the division remains the best.
Laporte enjoyed success during his five years at Man City, including a treble in his final season
The 30-year-old says his relationship with Pep Guardiola (right) deteriorated towards the end
He reveals he has not spoken to Pep Guardiola since moving but that he misses his former manager and credits him for allowing him to see football differently.
‘Pep is still by far the best manager I have ever played under. He’s unbelievable and miles ahead. Tactically, no one comes close,’ Laporte admits.
‘Even over a year on, I miss his meetings and the tactical explanations that he gave to us. I would love to be in the room listening because you always learn so much and understand football on another level with him.’
So does he see a future in Saudi? There is a respect for Al Nassr where he has a contract until 2026 earning approximately £20M a year and where he plays alongside the likes of Sadio Mane and Cristiano Ronaldo but Laporte insists that if the right opportunity arises, he would potentially consider a return to Europe.
‘We have to see if an offer from Europe comes. I don’t see my family living here after football but we never know. There are things that we like here but I am far away from my wider family which is difficult. Sooner or later, I will go back,’ he admits.
We are speaking weeks after Ivan Toney made the £40M move to Al Ahli from Brentford and Laporte warns that Toney must attempt to adapt to the culture, citing Jordan Henderson’s failed stint at Al Ettifaq under Steven Gerrard as an example.
Laporte insists he doesn’t regret to joining Al-Nassr but says he will return to Europe soon
Jordan Henderson had a failed stint at Al Ettifaq and eventually returned to Europe
‘It was tough for Henderson and he must have found adapting different because it is not easy for European players to come to Saudi. It’s totally different. But it is what it is – you choose things and leave others,’ says Laporte.
Whereas Gareth Southgate was ruthless with Henderson after his move, eventually leaving him out of England squads, Laporte thanks the Spain boss Luis de la Fuente for keeping faith in him.
‘The Euros were the best moment of my career,’ he says. ‘We had so many young players in our side but we were truly convinced that we would win.
‘We were fearless and to be honest, we were confident that we would beat England in the final, even though the names in their squad were unbelievable. They (England) will come again but the lesson for them is that they have to play without fear.’
