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Aymeric Laporte: From Al Nassr to World Cup glory against Messi’s Argentina
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This time last year, Aymeric Laporte was sharing a dressing room with Cristiano Ronaldo at Al Nassr. On Sunday, the Spain defender found Ronaldo’s great generational rival Lionel Messi standing between his team and a World Cup trophy.
In an attritional, physical FIFA World Cup final, Argentina did everything it could to thwart Spain’s fluid attacking approach, with La Albiceleste hoping its long-time talisman Messi could conjure a magic moment.
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But against a Spain defense marshalled by Laporte, there was no way through for Messi or his team-mates at the New York New Jersey Stadium. Feran Torres’ extra-time goal handed Spain a famous 1-0 win and delivered the nation’s second world title.
For Laporte, it completed a remarkable personal journey to the summit of international football via two years playing in the Saudi Pro League – and provided a rare intersection with the careers of the two greatest players of the modern era.
Signed by Al Nassr from Manchester City in August 2023, Laporte arrived in Riyadh fresh from winning the treble and UEFA Champions League under Pep Guardiola.
“He is one of the best left-sided central defenders in Europe,” the City boss said shortly before Laporte’s move. The defender joined in a landmark summer for the Saudi Pro League, with a host of world football’s biggest names descending on the Kingdom.
For the next two seasons, Laporte shared the pitch and dressing room with five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo, as well as the likes of Sadio Mane, Marcel Brozovic and Otavio. Always a reliable presence in central defense, Laporte Laporte also developed an unlikely knack for important goals during his time in Riyadh.
He scored four times in his debut Saudi Pro League season, including a dramatic stoppage-time winner against Damac and goals in both league meetings with Al Khaleej. His eye for goal continued into his second campaign, when an unusual scoring burst for club and country saw him find the net for Spain against Serbia before scoring again for Al Nassr days later.
At the end of his first campaign with Nassr, Laporte was selected for the Spain national team for the UEFA European Championship in Germany; his assured performances at the heart of La Roja’s defense helped them to win the tournament – beating England in the final.
It was with a heavy heart that Lapote decided to leave Riyadh in September 2025 and return to Spain with Athletic Club. A popular figure in the Al Nassr dressing-room, Laporte departed with warm words for the club.
“I’m grateful for this experience, full of memories and growth, and proud to have been part of the SPL’s rise on the world stage,” Laporte wrote in his farewell message, also describing it as “an honor” to have shared the pitch with Ronaldo and so many leading players during his time in Saudi Arabia.
Ten months after leaving Riyadh, Laporte found himself confronting the other defining player of his generation on football’s biggest stage.
In the World Cup final, Messi was aiming to make history by leading Argentina to successive global titles. Instead, the 39-year-old endured a frustrating night as Laporte and Spain’s defense largely kept him away from goal.
Argentina failed to register a single attempt during the regulation 90 minutes, an unprecedented attacking blank in a World Cup final, before Spain eventually found the breakthrough in extra time.
Laporte’s role in Spain’s triumph was the culmination of a tournament in which he had repeatedly demonstrated his importance to Luis de la Fuente’s side. La Roja conceded just once in eight games – in the quarter-final against Belgium – with the team’s success built on strong defensive foundations, held together by the experienced Laporte
Before a group-stage meeting with Uruguay, the defender had offered a confident assessment of Spain’s credentials. “If we’re on form, it’s very difficult to beat us,” he said, with words that proved prophetic.
The most personally significant moment of the World Cup came in the semi-final against France, the country of Laporte’s birth and the nation he represented extensively at youth level before switching international allegiance to Spain in 2021.
“Getting to a World Cup semi-final is something you dream about as a kid,” Laporte said ahead of the encounter. Spain responded with one of their most impressive performances of the tournament, beating France 2-0 and neutralizing a formidable attack featuring Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise.
Laporte, Pau Cubarsi and Rodri formed the defensive platform on which that victory was built, restricting Les Bleus’ array of attacking talent and booking Spain’s place in a first World Cup final since their maiden triumph in South Africa in 2010.
Spain exhibited the same defensive solidity in the final. With Messi contained and Argentina reduced to 10 men after Enzo Fernandez’s second-half red card, La Roja’s attacking players persevered and eventually found the breakthrough.
Laporte’s route to becoming a world champion has been anything but conventional. Born in Agen, Laporte represented France from Under-17 to Under-21 level but never made a senior competitive appearance for Les Bleus. After obtaining Spanish citizenship, he made his La Roja debut at 27 and has since built a stellar international career.
He became a European champion while playing for Al Nassr and is now a world champion less than a year after leaving Saudi Arabia to return to Athletic Club, where his senior career first flourished.
Having once stood alongside Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia, Laporte ended the World Cup final standing above Messi on football’s biggest stage as a world champion.
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