Spaniard Aymeric Laporte, defender of Al-Nasr’s first football team, rises to fifth place among the most defensive back-line players for his country in the European Cup, as soon as the “Matador” and Albania match begins, Monday, in the final round of the second group of the current edition.
The defender was selected in the starting lineup for the second match in a row, after starting the last match in which Spain won over Italy 1-0, while he missed the 3-0 victory against Croatia in the first round, due to injury.
After the Spanish squad secured a ticket to the round of 16 as group leaders, their local coach, Luis de la Fuente, decided to rest the starting lineup, with the exception of Laporte.
The Al-Nasr defender participates with ten names who started the previous two matches on the bench.
This participation brings the player’s number of matches in the European Cup to 8, surpassing several names who were equal to him, including former defenders Jose Camacho, Ivan Heligera, Alvaro Arbeloa, and Carlos Marchena, as well as retired stars such as Raul Gonzalez.
Laporte will be equal to former defender Carles Puyol, the fifth most Spaniard from the back line to have participated in the continental competitions.
Jordi Alba, the internationally retired left-back, leads Spanish defenders’ appearances in the Euros, with 16 appearances, one ahead of Sergio Ramos, who is absent from the current edition, and one ahead of Rafael Jordio and Gerard Pique, the two former stars.
Alba stands at the top of the Spaniards’ participation in general, not just defenders, on par with Cesc Fabregas, Como’s current Italian coach, and Andres Iniesta, the Emirati midfielder.
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