"Adios" Sergio Ramos, hello Robin Le Normand!

A few days after telling Spanish legend Sergio Ramos that he was no longer counting on him in the national team, new coach Luis De la Fuente approached Robin Le Normand, who gave the green light for naturalization.

A process similar to that which had seen Aymeric Laporte land in La Roja in 2021 and fly with Spain to Qatar for the World Cup-2022.

Robin Le Normand, trained in Brest, landed on the Basque coast in 2016, at the age of 19, after being dismissed by Stade Brestois.

He spent two and a half seasons with the Real Sociedad B team, before being called up to the pros, where he made his mark.

Today, Le Normand is one of Spain's most feared defenders: he won the Copa del Rey with Real in April 2021, he was named LaLiga player of the month in October 2021, and he is currently one of the pillars of the Basque team, which plays spoilsport at the top of the ranking (3rd behind Real Madrid and FC Barcelona but ahead of Atlético Madrid).

By the classic route, Le Normand should wait until he has spent ten years on Spanish territory to apply for Spanish nationality.

But with this exceptional procedure, the Spanish Higher Sports Council (equivalent to the State Secretariat for Sports in France) can request to naturalize it by royal decree (article 21 of the Spanish Civil Code), as was the case on May 11, 2021 for Aymeric Laporte.

A source from the Spanish federation, however, told AFP that it seems difficult that Robin Le Normand can be naturalized in time to be called up during the international window at the end of March, where Spain will have to face Erling's Norway. Haaland and Scotland in qualifying for Euro-2024.

Thanks to the dual nationality agreement between France and Spain which entered into force in April 2022, the player will not need to renounce his French nationality.

"I really thank Spain for the opportunity it gave me, through Real Sociedad, to play for professionals, an opportunity that I did not have in France. (...) But I am French and I feel that way, and my goal is to play with the French selection, which is my selection", had however affirmed the defender at the end of October in the Spanish sports daily As.

© 2023 AFP