Aymeric Laporte: Left-Footed Control from Lezama to Spain

The first pass can organise the whole attack

Aymeric Laporte is a centre-back whose strongest foot changes the shape around him. From the left side, he can pass directly toward the touchline, carry forward without turning into pressure and switch play before the opponent closes the angle.

That distribution matters because it begins from a defensive position. A midfielder does not always need to drop beside Laporte to start the move, so the team can keep another player higher. If the forward blocks the outside pass, the central lane may open; if the press stays narrow, Laporte can release the full-back.

The 2026 World Cup gave those habits a new stage. Laporte partnered Pau Cubarsí in Spain’s title-winning defence, balancing a teenager’s progression with the positioning of a player carrying more than a decade of senior experience.

Athletic Club made a French defender at home

Laporte was born in Agen, France, and moved into Athletic Club’s Lezama academy as a teenager. His Basque family roots fitted the club’s player policy, while his development in Spain shaped the footballer he became.

He progressed through Basconia and Bilbao Athletic before reaching the senior team. Athletic gave him responsibility early: defending space in La Liga, building from the back and dealing with the pressure attached to a club that develops rather than routinely buys replacements.

By the time Manchester City activated his release clause in 2018, Laporte already had more than two hundred Athletic appearances. The transfer was not a bet on an unfinished prospect. City wanted a left-footed defender ready to make the first pass in a possession team.

Manchester City required control, not constant defending

Pep Guardiola’s teams can dominate the ball and still leave their centre-backs with difficult work. The defender may spend a long sequence circulating possession, then have to manage a striker in open space after one turnover.

Laporte helped City maintain width in the first line and break pressure with diagonal passes. He also had to step forward when the opponent tried to receive between midfield and defence. His best seasons combined those jobs with enough availability to hold a regular place.

The honours were substantial: Athletic’s return announcement credited him with thirteen City trophies, including five Premier League titles and the Champions League. Injuries and competition eventually reduced his role, and he moved to Al Nassr in 2023.

Spain changed the international timeline

Laporte represented France at youth level but did not appear for the senior national team. After years living in Spain, he became eligible to switch associations and made his Spain debut in 2021.

The choice was discussed through identity and opportunity, but the football fit was straightforward. Spain wanted a left-footed centre-back comfortable defending high and passing through the first line. Laporte started during the country’s Euro 2024 victory and remained part of the defence that won the 2026 World Cup.

The Spanish federation listed him at 53 caps and two goals when checked after the tournament. Those totals will change, but the role is clearer: he supplies senior organisation around a younger generation of ball-playing defenders.

Why the Laporte-Cubarsi pairing worked

Cubarsí wants to see and play the progressive pass early. Laporte can do the same, but he also knows when a match needs a simpler phase. The pair did not have to divide into one passer and one stopper; each could move the ball while Laporte took more of the organisational responsibility.

Spain conceded only once during the World Cup run. No centre-back partnership owns that record alone. The press limited entries, the midfield controlled possession and the goalkeeper dealt with the final action. Laporte’s contribution was to keep the distances stable when Spain’s attacking players moved ahead of the ball.

His positioning also protected the space outside Cubarsí. When the younger defender stepped forward, Laporte could narrow behind him rather than both centre-backs chasing the same movement.

The return to Bilbao completes a football circle

Laporte rejoined Athletic in September 2025 on a contract through 2028. The club profile listed 254 official appearances after his return when checked on August 30, 2026.

Returning did not erase the years at City or Al Nassr. It placed their experience back into the environment that developed him. Athletic gained a defender who understood the club and could guide a line while still contributing the left-footed progression that first made him valuable.

Our ranking of the best defenders in the world right now places him fifth because the evidence window rewards Spain’s World Cup run and his current responsibility at Athletic. It is a current-form judgment, not a claim that one tournament moves him automatically above every longer career in the all-time defenders ranking.