Laporte admits Spain wanted him for years before allegiance switch

Aymeric Laporte

shocked his fans before the start of Euro 2020 when he switched his allegiance from

to

as he got Spanish passport and was not representing France competitively.

The 27-year-old immediately became a starter under the reign of

Luis Enrique

and scored his first goal for Spain when they vanquished Slovakia 5-0. He is getting ready to face Croatia in the Round of 16 this evening.

Before the game, the Spain international talked about the switch and revealed that the Royal Spanish Football Federation was keen on acquiring him for some time before he finally made a move to La Roja.

“

They called me from the Federación,”

he told the

Guardian

.

“The president told me about their interest. Straight after, Luis Enrique called. I took the decision. Then came my dual nationality.

“I’d been in contact with the selección española for years because they’ve always wanted me.”

Talking about Luis Enrique’s influence, Laporte added:

“Luis Enrique told me my playing style is his idea of football, that if I got nationality, I might be in the squad.

“We talked and I told him that obviously it’s very important for me, for my projection. This is something I always wanted. To play at the highest level, at an international tournament is significant for any player.

“I said I was interested. There’s paperwork and all that [but] we found the formula.”

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