Full name Aymeric Laporte 2000–2009 SU Agen Weight 85 kg Number 4 Height 1.89 m | Playing position Role Footballer Place of birth Agen, France Name Aymeric Laporte Career start 2000 | |
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Date of birth (1994-05-27) 27 May 1994 (age 23) Current teams Athletic Bilbao (#4 / Defender), France national under-21 football team Similar People Aritz Aduriz, Inaki Williams, Ander Iturraspe, Iker Muniain, Loic Perrin Profiles | ||
AYMERIC LAPORTE | Athletic Bilbao | Goals, Skills, Assists | 2015/2016 (HD)
Aymeric Laporte (born 27 May 1994) is a French professional footballer who plays for Spanish club Athletic Bilbao mainly as a central defender.
Contents
- AYMERIC LAPORTE Athletic Bilbao Goals Skills Assists 20152016 HD
- Aymeric Laporte vs FC Barcelona CDR Away 27012015 HD
- Club career
- International career
- Club
- Individual
- References
He is only the second French player – after Bixente Lizarazu – to play for Athletic Bilbao, since signing in 2010 at the age of 16.
Aymeric Laporte vs FC Barcelona - CDR (Away) - 27.01.2015 - HD
Club career
Born in Agen, Aquitaine, Laporte started playing football and rugby at the age of five, and began his development at SU Agen Football. In 2009 he was invited to join Athletic Bilbao after being scouted, prompting debate over whether his signing met the criteria of their policy due to his tenuous links to the Basque region; by arrangement with the club, he spent a season with Aviron Bayonnais FC as he was too young to move outside France at the time.
Laporte arrived in Bilbao formally in 2010, joining Athletic's youth setup at Lezama and going on to play for its farm and reserve teams. On 28 November 2012 he made his debut with the main squad, playing the full 90 minutes in a 2–0 away win against Hapoel Ironi Kiryat Shmona F.C. for the season's UEFA Europa League.
Laporte made his first La Liga appearance on 9 December 2012, appearing one minute in a 1–0 home win over Celta de Vigo. The following week he was inserted in the starting XI by manager Marcelo Bielsa, helping the Lions to the same result at RCD Mallorca, and was definitely promoted to the first-team shortly after, signing a new contract until 2015; on 14 January 2013, he was given the number 4 jersey previously worn by Ustaritz, and late in the month he renewed his contract, running until 2016 and with a €27.5 million release clause.
Laporte became an undisputed starter under new coach Ernesto Valverde, also being deployed as left back on occasion. He scored his first goal as a professional on 28 October 2013, netting the game's only at Getafe CF. At the end of the campaign, he was voted into the La Liga Team of the Year by the reporters of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional.
In June 2015, Laporte extended his link until 2019 with a release clause of €50 million. After losing the final of the Copa del Rey to FC Barcelona, he played both legs of the year's Supercopa de España triumph against the same opposition, Athletic's first silverware for 31 years.
On 13 June 2016, Laporte renewed his contract until 2020, with his buyout clause rising to an initial €65 million.
International career
Laporte represented France at under-17, under-18, under-19 and under-21 levels, captaining each side. He was part of the under-19 team that came runners-up to Serbia in the 2013 UEFA European Championship in Lithuania, and was selected in the Team of the Tournament.
On 24 March 2016, in a 2017 European Under-21 Championship qualifier against Scotland in Angers, Laporte was stretchered off with a fracture and dislocation to his right fibula and ankle, concluding his season prematurely. Previously, in October 2015, he stated that he would consider representing Spain if rejected by France for UEFA Euro 2016.
In August 2016, at the behest of new national manager Julen Lopetegui, Laporte began the process of making himself eligible for Spain. A month later, he was called up to the senior France squad for 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Bulgaria and the Netherlands in October, and stated he had decided not to apply for Spanish nationality with the continued aim of playing for France. He did not take part in either match.