Spain star Aymeric Laporte has opened up on his decision to switch allegiance from France to La Roja.
Laporte has emerged as a crucial player for Luis de la Fuente at the heart of Spain defence which won UEFA Euro 2024 this summer.
Despite plying his club trade in Saudi Arabia, the 30-year-old is still a first choice pick for de la Fuente, after making the decision to declare for Spain.
Laporte represented his native France from U17 to U21 level but infamously never made a senior appearance despite calls to do so.
Didier Deschamps rejected multiple spells of pressure to call him up, as the Les Blues boss hinted at an issue between the pair, and Laporte eventually made the decision for him.
His time at Athletic Club opened up the eligibility question for Spain and Laporte seized the opportunity as Spain looked for a new defensive mainstay.
“I couldn’t wait any longer. Years went by, in the end, it was always the same with the coach. If I wanted to play in international competitions, I had to make this decision”, as per reports from RMC Sport, via Marca.
“I’m doing very well with the national team. There were some exchanges of opinion on several occasions (with Deschamps) our relationship was not the best.
“It’s over, I don’t even think about it anymore. Everyone goes their own way.”
Laporte’s 37 caps make him the leader on the list of Spain’s naturalised players and he is in line to start at least one of their UEFA Nations League games this month.
