Laporte discusses political-agenda claims concerning his Spain call-up
After failing to gain a spot in Didier Deschamps' squad, the Manchester City defender called up to La Roja’s this Euro 2020 squad and made his debut for Spain in their friendly game with France, which a Loic Remy goal secured a 1-0 win for Les Bleus.
Born in
Agen
in the
south of France
, the defender
represented Les Bleus' youth teams
from U17s level all the way through to the U21s, and later he was
twice called up to France’s senior national
side but injury and a failure to convince Les Bleus’ manager, Didier Deschamps, prevented him from making a single appearance for the French national team by the age of 27.
Failing to make a single appearance for Les Bleus at age of 27, an eight-year spell with Athletic Bilbao made Laporte, whose great grandparents were from the Basque region, eligible to play for Spain as Luis Enrique took advantage by including him in the squad for this summer's European Championship.
Remained unperturbed by
the debates surrounding his involvement in Spain national team, Aymeric Laporte told French outlet,
AFP: "There is a bit of everything, like anywhere, there are a lot of people who are in favour but there are many who are also against.
"There is a political agenda behind all that and I can see that it's not easy for everyone to accept. I also understand those people. Everything is fine, for now.
"There will be worse times to come and also the opposite. I just try to make the most of the good moments and push the bad ones aside because otherwise I know it'll be a rollercoaster."
On him replacing Sergio Ramos at La Roja squad, he said: “This is what the press wanted to blame me for a bit.
“The manager said he was injured so it has nothing to do with me. I'm also not the only centre-back in the squad so I don't think it's my fault.
"There's no extra pressure. I'm here to do my job, to fight for Spain in my own way.
"He is an icon in the world of football. I have watched him a lot since I was young. He is the benchmark.
"I love his character, not his aggressive side, the red cards and all that, but his resilience to make a mistake and still come back stronger, not to hide behind his reputation. He is always ready to stand up and be counted."
Pairing up with Pau Torres at La Roja’s heart of the defense during their Euro 2020 opener against Sweden, La Roja couldn’t achieve more than a 0-0 draw against the Swede men. However, the Manchester City defender is optimistic about their upcoming Euro 2020 match against Poland.
"The results will say everything," he continued. "A lot of people think they know football but then the complete opposite to what they predict happens.
"We just try to do our job and I would even say so much the better if they think that we're not ready because it takes the pressure off. It motivates us even more."
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