Laporte happy to tackle the big games for City
FAMILY history would suggest Aymeric Laporte had a better chance of representing France in the Six Nations than playing football at Wembley.
Dad Lionel was a good second division rugby player in Agen, but he recommended that his son chose a different sport.
‘He didn’t want me to play rugby because it is very hard on the body,’ reveals Aymeric. ‘So I picked up my love for football at school and the rest is history.’
At 6ft 3in, Aymeric wouldn’t have looked out of place on a rugby pitch. But there’s no doubt the gentle fatherly advice has already reaped rewards.
Last month, the commanding centre-half hit the jackpot by joining Manchester City from Athletic Bilbao in a £57million deal that was the most expensive in City’s history.
Now, less than four weeks later, he has the chance to help them win the first trophy of the Pep Guardiola era when they play Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final. It would be the first dividend on a £380million investment in players over the past three transfer windows.
City are runaway leaders in the Premier League and warm favourites to win today. There was a glitch on Monday when they lost 1-0 to Wigan in the FA Cup, and lifting silverware would be the perfect riposte.
‘We had a very bad night though people tell me we have this terrible record against Wigan,’ reflects Laporte on only his third match for City. ‘We knew it was going to be difficult and obviously we had a man sent off in the first half.
‘Right now the important thing is what is ahead of us — a cup final. Winning would be a great step forward and that first trophy would definitely help the development of the team. It’s clear that winning trophies increases confidence.’
Guardiola knows exactly the type of player he wants to sign. Ilkay Gundogan, Leroy Sane, Gabriel Jesus, Kyle Walker and Bernardo Silva were purchased to offer a combination of speed and stealth.
Laporte, 23, is the most expensive of the lot. His comfort on the ball for a centre-half —
besides his physical size and strength — should help City build from the back, as Guardiola’s Barcelona team did with Gerard Pique.
‘I like to think of myself as a modern defender rather than old school,’ he admits. ‘I’m trying to evolve with how football is going. The truth is I like the style of playing the ball out and hitting long passes.
‘I’ve already learned a lot from Mister [Guardiola]. He is such an influential figure in football. I also looked at the City team. There are so many young players a similar age to myself. That was a major factor in my thinking.’ Laporte’s hometown in southern France is a rugby hotbed. He supported the nearest big football team, Bordeaux, and idolised their winger Sylvain Wiltord, who later joined Arsenal.
Laporte played in virtually every outfield position including striker before settling down as a defender. To pursue his career, he stayed at a sporting boarding school from the age of 11. Bilbao signed him from Agen at 15 though he was loaned back to junior clubs in France until he turned 18.
‘I really missed my family and friends but it made me stronger. I was clear what I wanted to do,’ he says about missing out on a normal childhood.
‘Becoming a footballer was a dream that is almost unattainable for most people.
‘We were told that out of maybe 1,000, only one of us would make it as a player. But I kept fighting to achieve my dream every single day. I worked hard and made many sacrifices and here I am now.’
There were serious tests to overcome in Spain. Marking the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo was hard enough for a young defender without some Bilbao fans questioning why a Frenchman should play for the premier Basque club.
Laporte earned the reputation as a Rolls-Royce defender. He captained France Under-21s and was heavily linked with Liverpool and City for two years before completing his move to the Premier League.
Ironically, it is Arsenal, that most Gallic of English clubs under Arsene Wenger, who now stand in his way. ‘They are a dangerous team,’ he admits.
He’ll know World Cup rival Laurent Koscielny will be in the other team. Both men hope to make Didier Deschamp’s squad this summer, but competition is fierce with Real Madrid’s Raphael Varane and Samuel Umtiti, of Barcelona, also involved in the battle.
Back home, Laporte is now a hero in Agen. The town’s impoverished local team have received £570,000 from a sell-on clause they had with Bilbao.
‘I’ve received calls from the town hall to thank me and there has been talk about naming a plot of land after me,’ he says.
‘I am really happy to have been able to help my old club, especially with them having financial difficulties.’
City’s relatively serene progress to the Premier League title and Champions League quarter-finals has hit some bumps in recent weeks.
Guardiola was incensed at the wild tackles meted out to Sane and Brahim Diaz, while Fabian Delph was sent off for a challenge at Wigan.
So much for football being a softer option that rugby.
The former Barcelona boss has also been charged with wearing a yellow ribbon, seen as a political gesture in support of Catalonia.
On the pitch, Laporte has already come under the charge of two great managerial innovators; his Bilbao boss Marcelo Bielsa is credited with inventing pressing football with Chile. ‘He would bring in laptops and show videos of where to be on the pitch positionally, we did so much physical work,’ says Laporte.
And Guardiola? ‘His methods are just as valid. But he doesn’t bring laptops onto the training pitch!’