During preparations for the World Cup final against Argentina, Spanish defender Aymeric Laporte gave an exclusive interview to Marca.
Our interview in March ended with the line, "Just tell me what you want." Does that line still hold true now?
Of course, speak up.
Do you have any thoughts in mind?
To be honest, no, but it will be something special. Because this is a unique moment, an incredibly powerful one. I hope my loved ones, my family, my children, will have the memory of all that I've experienced.
Can we ask you for a signed jersey in the mixed zone?
That won't do! That's for me and my family.
You're the best center-back in this World Cup, everyone's saying that...
Ultimately, this is the kind of football I've always loved. Playing with teammates like these is always a pleasure; they almost always find a passing lane.
You've played several high-level matches in a row, but they've never chosen you as the best player of the match?
They've never given me an award like this before, so I don't know if I'm expecting it.
Are there many commercial marketing factors behind this?
Obviously, yes. I think whoever scores in the final will take the award. But, well, for me, winning the World Cup is enough. In the end, it's almost always the strikers who take the award, and you know how that works.
Do you like to see this award go to Pedro Polo?
Yes, I really liked him, and he deserved it. Not just for this game, but for all the other games he's played. To be honest, his performance in this tournament has been incredible; he works incredibly hard, and the team can feel that.
How's it going with your partner, Paulo Coubasi? It's been such a fantastic tournament, only conceding one goal is incredible...
That's absolutely true. I've said this in several interviews: I believe the credit belongs to the whole team, after all, we were just the last line of defense. It's true that in many clubs, defense relies too heavily on the back line, but here, the defensive work starts with the forwards leading the pressing and extends all the way to the goalkeeper. We put in tremendous effort to avoid conceding a single goal, which is why we became so difficult to beat.
We mentioned Mbappe earlier, now let's talk about Messi. What does the name Leo mean to you?
A legend for life. We've all watched Leo's videos since we were kids. To be honest, I have many matches and photos of me playing against him, and unfortunately… (laughs) he always showed up at many important moments. He was there in many important moments I've experienced. He was an incredible footballer, and we all admired his games. Now I hope the World Cup doesn't belong to him, but to us.
Does defeating Messi make winning the World Cup more valuable?
It doesn't matter who I beat; for me, winning the World Cup is all that matters, regardless of the opponent. Of course, you've defeated yet another legend, just like the ones we've already defeated.
Are you worried about Argentina's aggressiveness? People are talking about their intensity, their aggression, and how they fight until the very last minute...
As long as it's purely aggressive within the realm of football, I'm not worried at all. If it's allowed by the rules and the referee is doing his job, I have no problem. But indeed, in recent matches, we've seen some very strange things, some actions that have been left unchecked. Especially against Argentina, that team always seems to resort to a lot of dirty tricks. This shouldn't be allowed in football, especially in such a big tournament, because it can throw you off balance and provoke you.
Controlling these things is part of the referee's job; players can't be allowed to ride roughshod over the referees. If one or two players can do that, the game will get out of control. From the start of the tournament, we've been a fairly honorable and fair team in terms of defensive action. We're not the kind of team that maliciously kicks opponents or commits crazy fouls, and I think that's something we need to continue doing in the upcoming game. But indeed, it will largely depend on the referee's calls.
Have you discussed these things in the locker room? Like how they play, or what moves they're making...
Yes, we've discussed it. The problem is, we can't control this aspect ourselves. There has to be someone to control these actions and determine that this is football, and not something else, and that one or two players can't be allowed to do whatever they want...
How did you prepare mentally for the final? Did your daily routines change? Or were you as calm as you appeared on the surface?
To be honest, we're remarkably calm. We've maintained this calm since I arrived. I don't know if it's because within the team, we've slightly downplayed the pressure of these big occasions and always crave more, which I think is the important thing. For example, a few days ago, when we beat France, we celebrated in the locker room, but we didn't go wild because our goal wasn't just to beat France, but to win this tournament. Most likely, we can only truly relax when we achieve that great goal. We always crave the highest honors; giving up halfway is meaningless to us.
We saw what was happening in the Argentine team's locker room, and you know what it was like on social media. Some fans were saying, "Look at these Spaniards, they made it to the final but they're performing so poorly..."
This is exactly what I just said: we don't want to give up halfway. It's true that many people didn't believe in us from the beginning, but we had great faith in our own abilities and knew we were capable of doing this. So, for us, any result without winning the title would be a heavy blow, that's obvious. Of course, getting this far, eliminating those strong teams we've already beaten, and playing the style of football we're showing now is wonderful. But we have a winner's mentality, and we can't celebrate until we've won what we believe is ours.
In this sense, some people don't really believe in the saying "the final is meant to be won," but rather think that you should enjoy the game, and that just being there is already a huge value. This is what De la Fuente said in Dallas...
That's absolutely true. The issue is that it also relates to the hunger for victory and what the World Cup means to a football player or coach. If we only enjoy it without giving our all, especially after going through eight matches and failing to achieve our goal, it can be a bit demoralizing. It's certainly about enjoying it, but it's also about competing and striving to make history.
Four years ago in Qatar, someone asked you why Spain was able to win the World Cup, and you gave that famous answer, "Why not?"
We're only 90 minutes away from achieving this goal, so why not?
You mentioned your family and your children earlier. How did they spend this time?
That's great. There have been many trips lately, which has been a bit complicated because they're still so young. The long journeys by car and bus have been tiring for them, and there's also jet lag. But they're clearly very happy, and they'll be incredibly excited when they arrive at the stadium. I hope the day ahead will be epic.
We spent time with them in Los Angeles; they were quite mischievous and active...
Yes, yes, 100% mischievous.
What did they say to you after the match against France? That was a very special match for you ...
Well, they didn't really know who we were competing against, or the significance of the situation, but everything was fine, and we were all very happy.
Does no one in your family complain about you eliminating the French team?
No, absolutely not. They know what I've been through, and they support me wholeheartedly without reservation.
Looking back, that decision you made, you 've always said it was one of the best decisions you 've ever made in your life...
Yes, 100% that's true. I wouldn't trade my comfort over the years, or my current situation, for anything in the world.
I have another question about this. Do you consider yourself to be the "best signing" in Spanish history—in quotes?
No, I shouldn't say whether I'm the best or not. And, strictly speaking, this wasn't exactly a transfer signing. If others say that, I'll think it's fine, but I won't say it myself.
After your interview with Marca in March, everyone started calling you "Boss"...
Yes, that's what everyone calls me in the locker room now.
You quite like it, don't you?
Yes, I said that back then.
