Robin Le Normand

Robin Le Normand
Robin Aime Robert Le Normand (born 11 November 1996) is a professional footballer who plays as a Centre-back for La Liga club Real Sociedad. Born in France, he plays for the Spain national team.
He started playing at Brest, where he made one first-team appearance, before joining Real Sociedad.
He obtained Spanish nationality in 2023 and was part of the Spain squad that won the UEFA Nations League in the same year.
Club career
Brest
Born in Pabu, Côtes-d'Armor, Brittany Le Normand represented Brest as a youth player. On 21 September 2013 he made his senior debut, starting with the reserve team in a 1–0 CFA 2 away loss against Lannion.
Le Normand scored his first senior goal on 19 March 2016, netting his team's third in a 3–3 draw at Fougères. On 15 April, he made his professional debut by starting in a 2–1 away loss against Sochaux for the Ligue 2.
Real Sociedad
On 5 July 2016, Le Normand signed a two-year deal with Real Sociedad, being assigned to the B-team in Segunda División B. He received a new contract in August 2018, for two more years.
Le Normand made his first team – and La Liga – debut on 26 November 2018, starting in a 2–1 home win against Celta Vigo. The following 12 February, he renewed his contract with the Txuri-urdin until 2022, and was definitely promoted to the main squad on 9 June.
After the departure of Héctor Moreno, Le Normand became an integral part of the starting XI. He scored his first La Liga goal on 30 November 2019, opening the scoring in a 4–1 home win against Eibar. He was rewarded with a contract extension until 2024 on 4 June 2020. On 19 December, he scored in an 8–0 win at Tercera División club Becerril in the first round of the Copa del Rey; he also played in the 1–0 win over Basque derby rivals Athletic Bilbao in the COVID-delayed final on 3 April 2021.
Le Normand was chosen as La Liga Player of the Month for October 2021, the first defender since Diego Godín of Atlético Madrid in 2014. He played 48 out of 51 games in 2021–22, missing only one league game by suspension, and then extended his contract until 2026.
International career
In May 2023, the Spanish Council of Ministers granted Spanish nationality to Le Normand after living in Spain for almost seven years, meaning he would be eligible to play for the Spanish national team. On 2 June, he was included in their 23-man squad for the UEFA Nations League, debuting 13 days later in their 2–1 semi-final win over Italy, where he started in central defence alongside another naturalised Frenchman, Aymeric Laporte.
Personal life
Le Normand's younger brother, Théo, is also a professional footballer, who made his debut for Guingamp in 2021.
Career statistics
Club
International
Honours
Real Sociedad
Copa del Rey: 2019–20
Spain
UEFA Nations League: 2022–23
Individual
La Liga Player of the Month: October 2021
References
External links
Profile at the Real Sociedad website
1996 births
Living people
Footballers from Côtes-d'Armor
Spanish men's footballers
French men's footballers
Naturalised citizens of Spain
Spanish people of French descent
French emigrants to Spain
Men's association football defenders
Stade Brestois 29 players
Real Sociedad B footballers
Real Sociedad footballers
Ligue 2 players
Segunda División B players
La Liga players
Spain men's international footballers
UEFA Nations League-winning players
Naturalised association football players