France national team manager Didier Deschamps has paid tribute to former France international centre-back Raphaël Varane (31) to the French FA’s website. The RC Lens academy graduate has officially hung up his boots for good, eighteen months after announcing his international retirement. Despite decreasing his workload, Varane remained blighted by frequent injuries. The former Real Madrid defender left Manchester United upon the expiry of his three-year contract this summer, joining newly promoted Serie A side Como as a free agent. However, he would make just one appearance for Cesc Fabregas’ side, in the Italian Cup. He then suffered a significant knee injury, which was set to sideline him for several months.
Deschamps, who gave Varane the first of his 93 caps for France in 2013, when he was only 19, has lauded the centre-back for his unwavering professionalism. “Knowing him, I know that this decision, always difficult to make, is the result of careful consideration. It is therefore the right one, which we must respect. Speed, vision, technique, mentality… Raphaël had all the qualities required to achieve this magnificent career.”
Varane won four Champions League titles with Real Madrid (2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018) as well as two trophies with France, the 2018 World Cup and the 2021 Nations League. “For ten years, the France national team was another family for him”, Deschamps adds. “He will always be welcome there. He arrived young and quickly established himself as a leader on the field but also off it, where his opinion was listened to and respected. I’ll remember a player always oriented towards others and the team.”
Varane’s leadership qualities earned him the opportunity to wear the skipper armband for France twenty times. His 93rd and final France cap was the 2022 World Cup final, which Les Bleus lost to Argentina on penalties. “With France but also every team he played for, he was always remembered as a great professional. For that and everything else, we must say a big thank you. I wish him to be happy in the new challenges of his choice. He will also be able to devote himself to his family, which means a lot to him.”
GFFN | Bastien Cheval
