The French national team had to end their Euro 2024 journey at the semi-final stage following a 1-2 defeat to Spain.

This early morning (July 10th) at 2:00 AM Vietnamese time, France faced a 1-2 loss to Spain in the first semi-final of Euro 2024, marking the end of their quest for the championship. Despite this setback, two French-born players still have the chance to lift the Euro trophy this year.

This intriguing scenario arises because two players in the Spanish squad for this year’s tournament were born in France: Aymeric Laporte and Robin Le Normand.

Aymeric Laporte’s case is quite close to Spain due to his Basque heritage, inherited from his great-grandfather. Laporte was born in Agen, France, which is near the Basque region. This heritage allowed him to play for Athletic Bilbao, a club that only fields players from the Basque Country. After spending a decade in French youth academies, Laporte joined Bilbao’s youth setup in 2010 and made it to the senior team within two years.

Notably, Laporte was previously called up to the French national team but never played a minute for “Les Bleus.” Since 2021, the former Manchester City defender has represented Spain and has become a key player for “La Roja.”

As for Robin Le Normand, he had almost no prior connections to Spain. Born in Pabu, France, he joined Brest’s youth academy at a young age and made his professional debut in 2016. Shortly after, Le Normand transferred to Real Sociedad, where he has remained in the Basque region ever since. After seven years in Spain, the 27-year-old obtained Spanish citizenship in May of last year. Just a month later, he debuted for Spain in a 2-1 victory over Italy in the Nations League.

Having grown up in the French football system, Aymeric Laporte and Robin Le Normand now form an effective central defensive pairing for Spain, contributing to the “La Roja’s” strong performance in Euro 2024.