In “L’Équipe”, Raphaël Varane explains his retirement and denounces the evolution of modern football

FOOTBALL – On September 25, Raphaël Varane surprised everyone by announcing his retirement from sports, at only 31 years old. The French defender had just joined the Como club, promoted to Serie A, the elite of Italian football. Three weeks later, during a long interview at The Teamthe 2018 world champion gives more details on the motivations which pushed him to stop after 14 seasons in the professional world.

On his last injury, one too many, which led to his decision to stop everything, the French international explains that he felt “a sprain of the left knee (…) I had it for several weeks, it wasn’t so serious, but that it was the left knee was a strong sign, for me, because it compensates for the right since 2013 »details the player in this interview. Before adding: “ If my left knee tells me it’s fed up, I have to listen to it. »

Really longer careers?

This question remains: why want to stop football so early, when other players are still performing at the age of 40, like the Brazilian Dante at OGC Nice in the same position as him, or Cristiano Ronaldo, holder with the Portugal approaching quarantine? “I’m not sure careers last longer. The average age is falling, for example, in the Premier League”responds on this subject Raphaël Varane to The Team.

“I always bounced back from all the tough times, but maybe I needed to know how far I could go, and to hit the wall to really understand. If I had stopped before, I would have had regrets. There, I know that I couldn’t go any further and that I can be proud of all that”he continues his explanation.

“The top level is like a washing machine, you play all the time and never stop”Raphaël Varane already explained when he put away the French team jersey for good, at only 29 years old, which was already a huge surprise.

Words that resonate loudly today, amid the abundance of matches, reinforced this season with new additions to the calendar. In the Champions League and the Europa League, the teams involved must play two more matches in the autumn phase (8 instead of 6), which now extends until the end of January.

The FIFA Club World Cup, the last straw

The international breaks of September, October and November are still in effect, i.e. six matches to be played in the middle of the domestic championships, also offering less interest this season since they are simple Nations League matches and no truly competitive matches like qualifying for the World Cup or the Euro.

« Pire », a brand new FIFA Club World Cup is scheduled to last a month next June. This competition played in the United States, and which already does not interest many people, will bring together 32 of the most successful clubs from each continent. The straw too many for certain players and coaches – like the emblematic Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid -, who no longer hesitate to openly criticize the schedule which has become far too busy, which leads to more and more frequent injuries among players. Not to mention a lack of logical motivation in the face of over-demand on bodies and minds.

The best example to illustrate this overflow of meetings is that of Rodri. The Spanish international from Manchester City denounced in September the increase in the number of matches per season, accusing it of the consequences on the health of the players as well as on the quality of the game played. The current calendar, “in my humble opinion, it’s too much”said the Spanish international. “We have to take care of ourselves, we are the main characters of this sport, or this business, whatever you call it”he explained, suggesting the possibility of a players’ strike.

In a sign of fate, the player was injured a few days later during an important match against Arsenal in the Premier League. Result: rupture of the cruciate ligament of the right knee, season ended.

Followers of the specialized magazine So Foot make no mistake about it either. To a poll post on X and asking them “Are you losing interest in football? »nearly 80% of the 12,000 voters, this Wednesday, October 16 in the middle of the afternoon, responded « oui ».

For Raphaël Varane, in The Team this Wednesday, “football is in overdrive and (…) the machine is going to break down”. It is increasingly difficult today not to subscribe to this discourse.

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