Man City great who rejected Pep and then made ultimate sacrifice

The Athletic Bilbao defender was special enough to be headhunted in the summer that Guardiola arrived at the Etihad in 2016, with the hope that he would form a brand new ball-playing partnership with John Stones that would take the Premier League by storm. Laporte rejected the move at the 11th hour, and such decisions did not go down well with Guardiola and sporting director Txiki Begiristain.

Despite their best efforts to move on though, Begiristain was drawn back to Laporte. An olive branch was offered alongside another contract offer in January 2018, and that was enough for City to get a player who would go on to more than repay the club for turning them down originally.

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To get it, it's a simple one-two punch.

Laporte's impact was not immediate, joining as he did midway through the Centurions season, but the following year he was formidable as City won a domestic Quadruple. A terrific year was capped on the final day when he nudged City ahead at Brighton to confirm their magnificent title win on 98 points.

“The year where we won four titles was fantastic, ‘fourmidables’, it was unbelievable,” he told The Athletic this year. “Unbelievable. It was the season. If I have to choose between the treble and fourmidables, for me, even with the Champions League, it’s the fourmidables.”

A serious injury the following year was a major factor in City surrendering their league crown to Liverpool, and his sloppiness cost him in the 2020/21 season as a resurgent John Stones stepped in alongside new signing Ruben Dias to keep Laporte out. As stylish as the centre-back could be, he had a mistake in him during concentration lapses that could prove costly for everyone.

Guardiola also didn't enjoy that Laporte struggled to hide his dismay when not in the team, but that was part of what made him what he was. He gave his heart to City when he joined, and never put in less than a full shift even if it often looked effortless.

There was also a strong connection with fans, helped by a grounded profile on social media that didn't take himself too seriously. For some time, he changed his name to 'I'm Eric Laporte' after being amused by how a supporter had got the wrong end of the stick.

Fans grew to love him even more during an improbable end to the 2021/22 season that ended up being Laporte's greatest achievement at City. With Dias, Stones, Nathan Ake and Kyle Walker all injured, Laporte stood tall at the centre of the defence for the closing finale to hold Liverpool off again.

There was shock inside the press room at West Ham on the penultimate weekend of the season, for days earlier Laporte had been taken off at Wolves with an injury that looked to have ended his campaign. He played on injured, and did so again for that remarkable 3-2 comeback win over Aston Villa on the final day.

It would cost Laporte the opening months of the following season as he recovered from injury, and he never really got back in during the year where City went on to even greater heights and won the Treble. Wanting to play, he left and joined Al Nassr.

Laporte has only ever had glowing words for his time at City though despite him sacrificing more time there by playing through injuries at the end of the 2021/22 season. That was noted warmly by Guardiola, as well as all the supporters who remember his glorious performances in the best team they will ever see in their lives.

"I regretted leaving because I was at the best club in the world, City," he said. "The way they take care of their players there is unique; you only realise it when you leave. When you arrive, it's impressive and then once you get used to it, you see it as something commonplace, something normal.

"When you leave and you're no longer experiencing that special routine they have there, you realise how lucky you are to have been at a great club like City – and like I said, for me it was an unforgettable experience."

Fans will always remember Laporte as one of their own, and as much as they will be cheering Rodri on in the World Cup final on Sunday they will also be rooting for the defender. Not many players maintain their level after leaving City, yet Laporte has returned to Athletic Bilbao and remained a key play for his national team.

As the saying goes: once a Blue, always a Blue.