Arunava about Football A look at football & the world through my eyes!
Related Articles
Aymeric Laporte has completed a permanent move to Al Nassr.
It ends a hugely successful five-and-a-half years at Manchester City, in which the defender won 13 major honours.
After arriving from Athletic Club Bilbao in Spain in January 2018, Laporte played 180 times for the Blues.
He fit straight into Guardiola’s title-chasing Blues in 2017/18, playing nine of the last 14 games as we made history by becoming the Premier League’s first Centurions.
As the CITY+ documentary revealed, it was a whirlwind first 48 hours as a City player for the centre back.
Having landed in Manchester and completed the transfer, he was summoned to the training pitch two hours later – despite having no boots with him.
And after his first session at the CFA, Guardiola told him he would be making his debut against West Brom the following day.
Despite the frantic nature of his first taste of life at City, Laporte handled it with the composure that would become the hallmark of his play throughout his time at the Etihad Stadium.
A strong tackler and powerful header of the ball, Laporte was equally adept with the ball at his feet.
He remained a central figure in our 2018/19 campaign as we lifted all four domestic trophies available to us, playing 51 times across all competitions.
Injury affected his 2019/20 season before the form of John Stones and Ruben Dias saw him lose his place for much of 2020/21.
He did have a key role to play in our Carabao Cup win of 2020/21, our fourth successive League Cup success, heading home the winner in the Wembley final.
2021/22 saw a return to form for Laporte, playing 44 times as we again lifted the Premier League title.
After knee surgery following that success, he missed the start of the 2022/23 Premier League and, upon his return, struggled to displace his team-mates for the most important games across our Treble triumph. He was also in the squad for our 2023 UEFA Super Cup success.
Now he is set for pastures new, with Al Nassr the chosen destination for the next phase of his career.
Reflecting on his time at City, Laporte said, “I am proud to have represented Manchester City over the last six seasons.”
“When I first joined, I was excited about the prospect of winning trophies. However, I could not have imagined the success we would go on to achieve together.”
“I would like to thank the coaches, my team-mates and of course the brilliant City fans for all of their support throughout my time in Manchester.”
“I will always be a City fan and I look forward to seeing you all again.”
Director of Football Txiki Begiristain praised Laporte, saying, “Aymeric has been an excellent player for Manchester City during a great time for the Club.”
“He fit into the team seamlessly upon arrival in 2018 and played a key role in many of our successes over the years that have followed.”
“The form of the other defenders in the squad made it hard for him to find sufficient game time in 2022/23 and we respect his decision to seek a move elsewhere.”
“I look forward to following his career from afar.”
