Aymeric Laporte had a World Cup scare after suffering a horrific head injury in his penultimate game before the tournament.
The Manchester City defender was left with blood streaming down his face after a collision with Ethan Pinnock of Brentford.
Laporte was struck square in the forehead by a wayward elbow from Pinnock at a corner.
Concern among the player was instantly raised when the 28-year-old was knocked reeling to the ground where he lay still.
Play was abruptly halted so that city medics could take care of the injured defender.
For about 10 minutes, Laporte’s injury was the centre of everyone’s attention as the medics battled to take care of his bleeding head.
Concerns regarding Laporte’s World Cup participation were unavoidably raised by the way he remained on the ground.
However, after receiving treatment, Aymeric Laporte was able to continue, which was a great relief for him and Spain coach Luis Enrique.
The tournament, which begins a week from today might feature Laporte as he has been called up to the Spain team.
The former world champions will begin their campaign against Costa Rica before a tantalizing matchup with Germany.
The final group stage match for Enrique and company will be against Japan.
Laporte is also likely to be one of Spain’s starting center backs now that Sergio Ramos was unexpectedly left off the roster.
Aymeric Laporte
Aymeric Jean Louis Gérard Alphonse Laporte, a professional football player for Manchester City of the Premier League and the Spanish national team, was born on May 27, 1994.
He had previously played for Athletic Bilbao and Basconia.
He became only the second player born in France to play for Athletic Bilbao when he signed with them in 2010 at the age of 16 (after Bixente Lizarazu). He went on to make 222 competitive appearances for the club.
He signed a contract with Manchester City in January 2018.
He was a member of the team that achieved the first domestic triple in men’s football in England in 2019.
Laporte, a French native, was called up to the senior team twice but did not receive a cap despite earning 51 caps for his nation at the youth international level.
Laporte was selected for Spain’s squad for UEFA Euro 2020 in 2021 after obtaining Spanish citizenship and securing FIFA authorisation to switch national teams.
Spanish National Team Call Up
In order to represent Spain at the 2022 World Cup, Aymeric Laporte and Rodrigo have been called up.
The City duo were both a part of the team that advanced to the semifinals of the 2017 European Championships and have combined for 49 appearances for La Roja.
They have both contributed significantly to the success of Manchester City thus far, and Luis Enrique has recognized this by include them both in his 26-man squad for Qatar.
Three more Premier League players make up the team of the 2010 world champions: Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta, Brenford goalkeeper David Raya, and Brighton stopper Robert Sanchez.
Eric Garcia and Ferran Torres, two well-known names who were once City players, have also received the nod.
On Wednesday, November 23, Spain will play Costa Rica in their first group match.
