Robin Le Normand (26), French defender of Real Sociedad, is close to obtaining Spanish nationality to wear the Roja jersey, as new coach Luis De La Fuente wishes.
Spain could soon have a central hinge with two French players. After Aymeric Laporte, Spanish international since 2021, Robin Le Normand (26) could soon follow in his footsteps. Born in the Côtes d’Armor (in Pabu), trained in Brest (which had not kept him), the player joined Real Sociedad at 19 to complete his training there. And it was with the Basque club that he launched his professional career, which has now reached a level allowing him to dream of La Roja. The new coach Luis de la Fuente has also confided his intention to retain him soon, while waiting for the steps to obtain the player’s Spanish nationality to be finalized.
“Where I was trained, where I realized my childhood dream? It’s here, in Spain.”
In an interview with Movistar +, Le Normand took stock of these. “For my part, all the papers are done, but everything needs time, he points out. The Government, the Council of Ministers are meeting… Little by little, but it’s on the right track.”
Behind the scenes, things have also accelerated on the sporting level. “There were a lot of things, he explained. A month ago, the sporting director called me, then the coach to tell me that they liked me. First they wanted to see how I saw it. The truth is that these are important and incredible moments. When the coach calls you and he values you like he did it is an important thing in the career of an athlete, c “It’s a goal that all players want to achieve and in the end it’s a privilege. I’m very grateful and now I’ll keep working to be ready for the next time.”
“We hope to be able to count on him soon,” said Luis de la Fuente when his first list was announced last week. Asked about his choice to defend the Spanish rather than French selection, Le Normand assumes. “It was easier than I thought, he concludes. It is clear that I am French, my family is French, but when you look at my career … Where I was trained, where I realized my childhood dream? It’s here, in Spain. Where I was trained to be a professional is here, at Real Sociedad. I’ve been here for eight years and I’m not going to convince everyone world, but it’s not about that either. I’m very happy, it’s a source of pride and what I want is to defend this shirt”. This could come next June during the Final Four of the League of Nations. Spain will face Italy in the semi-finals.