Former France captain Hugo Lloris paid a superb tribute to his former teammate Raphaël Varane after the announcement of his retirement on Wednesday.
Hugo Lloris (37 years old) has seen almost everything in his international career. The former France team goalkeeper paid an emotional tribute to Raphaël Varane (31 years old) after the announcement of his retirement on Wednesday. First selected with Les Bleus in 2008, Lloris was already captain when Varane discovered the selection in 2013. He was still there when the two men decided to end their international careers after the 2022 World Cup. In an interview with L’Equipe, the record holder for selections (142) praised the immense talent of his former teammate.
“It’s so powerful to have accomplished such a career in these conditions”
“He is one of the greatest defenders of recent generations, and I have always thought of him as the first ultra-modern defender, tall and very fast,” says the former Nice player. “From his first matches with the Blues, I felt that he had something extra, and that he was going to revolutionize his position. And then, there is the man, too: Raph’ has values, principles, he has always been focused on others and on the team. It was a pleasure to play with him.”
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The 2018 world champion highlights his calm and maturity that quickly made him one of the team’s key players. He also focuses on his incredible mental strength to tame the pain of a suffering body.
“We saw him fight against his physique, follow his bodybuilding and prevention programs, which took a lot of time, energy and effort,” it should be noted. “He constantly fought against his body. He pushed the machine to the maximum, and it’s remarkable. He constantly pushed his limits, and that’s also the truth of the very high level. (…) When he appeared with us, there was no guarantee that he could still be a very high-level player at 30, and the staff had concerns. But he achieved the incredible, yes, what we don’t necessarily suspect from the outside. He worked so hard that he knew how to transform himself physically. As soon as he did a little less, he felt it right away. It’s so strong to have accomplished such a career in these conditions!”
