“I’m losing my mind” – Aymeric Laporte laments officiating for Manchester City’s European woes over the years | OneFootball

Aymeric Laporte has delivered a passionate and frustrated account of Manchester City’s Champions League near-misses during his five-and-a-half years at the club.

Laporte having previously described City’s environment as the best he has ever experienced in professional football and admitting he regretted leaving the club in 2023. His latest comments reveal the lingering pain of those European exits, which have stayed with him long after his departure from the Etihad Stadium.

The 32-year-old won five Premier League titles and the UEFA Champions League during his five-and-a-half seasons in Manchester, but his reflection on what could have been in Europe makes clear the trophies City did win only partially satisfied what he believes the squad was capable of achieving.

Laporte: We could’ve won five Champions Leagues – it’s trauma

In an in-depth interview with Sam Lee of The Athletic, Laporte was candid about the cumulative impact of City’s controversial Champions League exits over the years.

“Against Tottenham, we lost because of the hand of Llorente. The year after, first game against them. I flicked to Gabriel Jesus, it hit my head and my hand, VAR said handball. Who can say this one is handball and last year we lost the Champions League because of this? They are killing me,” Laporte said.

“So many injustices. I swear, every year, we were in the same situation. We missed the penalty against Tottenham, Aguero, and after they scored with the hand. Against Liverpool, offsides, no offside. Small details.

“We could’ve won the same as the Premier League… in six years we could’ve won five Champions Leagues. Stupid mistakes… I’m losing my mind. It’s always, ‘Arrghhh’… It’s trauma, no? These kinds of games…”

What is the wider context for Laporte’s comments?

Laporte’s frustration centres on a series of moments that remain deeply embedded in the memory of City supporters.

The Fernando Llorente handball in the Spurs quarter-final in 2019 cost City a place in the semi-finals, while the Sergio Aguero penalty miss against the same opponents and the contentious offside calls against Liverpool in the same season added to the sense of injustice that year.

City eventually claimed their long-awaited Champions League title in Istanbul in 2023, with Laporte having previously described that night as a release of years of accumulated pain shared with Pep Guardiola in a moment of pure joy.

The fact that the win came in his final season at the club before departing for Al Nassr makes his overall reflection all the more poignant – one title won, and the belief that four more were taken away.