Passing through Agen to celebrate the centenary of the SUA, the Spanish international gave us an exclusive interview.
Rarely have the premises of the La Dépêche du Midi-Le Petit Bleu Group hosted such a champion. Yesterday afternoon, the Agenais Aymeric Laporte came to meet us. For almost an hour, the Manchester City defender, who is about to become a dad for the first time in August, answered all our questions.
Aymeric, how long has it been since you returned to Agen?
I came back during Covid-19. It must have been in 2020…
It was here, in Agen, that you started playing football. Tell us…
I started at 5 and a half years old, supported by my parents and my family. They took me to football because they knew it was close to my heart. I kicked the ball all day long. We pushed hard for me to start before I was 6 years old. Francis Peratet (trainer at the time, now deceased) had accepted. Training was going well, then I started the tournaments. Everything was going well, and everything was linked behind.
You who come from a land of rugby, why football?
My mother hesitated when I was little. I was hyperactive, football was not enough. I kept running. So she thought maybe I should get into rugby. But my father was not too much for it, and that didn’t appeal to me either.
To return to football, did you immediately get comfortable as a defender?
Not at all ! Until I was 10-11 years old, I was a forward striker. I scored a lot of goals, and I was top scorer in all tournaments. Then I played in the middle. It was Alain Martin, the coach of the Lot-et-Garonne selection, who put me as a central defender when I was 13 or 14, because there was a lack.
And how did it happen?
I didn’t want to play this position at all. It’s the worst that can happen, because you’re in trouble all the time (laughs). There were injuries, I was told to play behind, I complained but I played well. And, little by little, I settled in as a central defender. But the pleasure of playing defender will only arrive when I am 15 and a half years old, in Bilbao. One person, Unai Melgoza, took me to a technical level.
At school level, how was little Aymeric Laporte?
I changed schools several times. I was in Sembel, then I went to Bon-Encontre Boé, Castelculier… I had hoped to be a footballer since I was 5 years old. It was my dream.
In 2009, you took the direction of Bilbao, at only 15 years old. Wasn’t it too difficult for you?
No, because it did me good to get away from Agen for personal reasons. Then, I had been at Sport-Etudes de Miramont-de-Guyenne for three years, at boarding school. I only came back on the weekends, so I had already prepared for the distance. In Bilbao, we had to work. All was not beautiful, and easy. It was even more difficult.
Quickly, you stand out in Spain. You even play your first match at 18. What memories do you have of that time?
I played there for five and a half seasons. The first year, we ended badly, finishing 15th. The second season, we end up in the Champions League. It was the first time for the club in thirty years. Afterwards, we were still in the European Cup, finishing between 4th and 6th places in the league.
Bilbao has become your adopted land in a way…
I have all my friends there, and my wife is also from there. I keep in touch with everyone. Even today I arrive from Bilbao. It was something exceptional. People have followed me throughout my career, and are still there with me today.
In 2018, you joined Manchester City. Why did you make this choice?
I was at a point in my career where change was needed. I had already refused an offer from them a year and a half before. But I needed a new challenge, and I don’t really like routine. I wanted titles, it was important to me.
How did you react following your departure from Bilbao?
It was very hard to leave Bilbao. I let go of all my childhood, my friends… But I needed this new challenge, I felt it, and I preferred to leave.
So here you are, arriving in England. It is often said that it is the toughest championship in the world. Do you agree ?
Yes, it’s true. It’s a very tight championship. There are no small teams. The players are tall, strong… Something can happen at any time. In Spain, it’s more technical, whereas in England, it’s all over the place. It’s much tougher and tougher. In the first match, I asked for fouls with each action, but we got used to it…
You have just won your 4th title of champion of England this year. Does it have a particular flavor?
It was the hardest. We struggled, even mentally, following the Champions League blow. We had to win something. At one point we were 10 points ahead of Liverpool, but they recovered. We really had to tear ourselves away and win everything to win this trophy.
How do you judge your season on a personal level? You regretted not being mentioned in the standard team of the championship…
I said that with a bit of a joke, but having started in France, going to Spain, and living in England means that I don’t represent anyone. No one takes my side, no newspaper will defend me. I have a lot less publicity in all areas. At the slightest little problem, there are criticisms.
You were international in the France youth team, but never with the first team, because of disagreements with Didier Deschamps. Do you understand these choices?
I don’t really have much to say on the subject. There are personal choices at Deschamps, but I’m not going to come back to them. It’s the best thing that ever happened to me. Today, I’m a member of the selection, and I’m going to play in the World Cup…
Do you think you could have your place in the France team?
Yes, I could have had my place if it had happened otherwise. But even with all the current problems in defense, I think I will not have gone there.
The World Cup is coming at the end of the year. We imagine it’s a childhood dream for you…
This is a big goal of my career. I’ve always dreamed of accomplishing it, and it can happen this year.
What will be your ambitions during this competition?
A year and a half ago, at the Euro, we were the worst of all, with young players. Nobody believed in us, and we arrive halfway through the Euro. The big teams lost in the quarter, or in the 8th, like France. However, we were not favorites at all. You never know what can happen in football.
Can you imagine coming back to play in France one day?
My team is Bordeaux, so it will be complicated (laughs). More seriously, for the moment, this is not a goal.
This Friday, you will give your name to the SU Agen stadium. What does this represent for you?
It’s incredible. When I was a kid, I watched Marouane Chamakh, for example. He was someone I idolized. When he came to visit Agen, I looked at him with big eyes. I wanted to do the same. Today, having my name at the stadium is something close to my heart. That’s wonderful. I’m part of the city. I am from Agen. My city is Agen and I’m very proud of where I come from.
