Raphaël Varane retired at 31 and gave his first post-career interview to L’Équipe
The former Real Madrid defender retired three weeks ago. Having remained discreet since the announcement of his decision, he spoke for the first time this Tuesday, October 15 in the columns of L’Équipe. The former French international was transparent about his career and shared his vision of Football with great sincerity.
Raphaël Varane’s career dictated by his knees
After three seasons at Manchester United, Raphaël Varane needed a change of environment, no longer being in his club’s plans. He weighed up his options and was convinced by a small club promoted to Serie A, to which Real Madrid sold Nico Paz in the summer. “Como was a project that stood out. It wasn’t exotic or financial, but on a human level it made sense, and it still does, since I’m going to stay by their side. I also wanted to only play once a week. »
However, his new beginning did not go as planned. On August 11, during Como’s first match of the season in the Italian Cup against Sampdoria, he injured his knee. He immediately understood that this injury would end his career. “It’s a sprain of the left knee, from a really innocuous action. Seeing the images makes you wonder how I got hurt. There is no contact or twisting. I had it for several weeks, it wasn’t that serious, but that it was the left knee was a strong sign for me, because it has been compensating for the right knee since 2013. It was through him that I found a balance in imbalance. So, if my left knee tells me it’s fed up, I have to listen to it. »
Raphaël Varane suffered a torn meniscus in his right knee in 2013, causing him to miss six months of competition. This injury permanently changed his body. The balance between his two legs was no longer there, and he had to learn to compensate, but also to adapt his style of play. His physical ascendancy was no longer enough. “I have sometimes said that to myself, I admit. With two legs, it would have been something else (laughs). I take all this lightly, but it is also thanks to this problem that I have mastered my art. It’s been years since I tackled. I wait for the right moment to make an impact in a duel, when I can brake, accelerate or anticipate the attacker’s run. I wouldn’t have mastered my position as much as I did without that knee. At the beginning of my career, I was like, “I don’t care, I’m going to catch him.” Then I had to compensate. When I see young people with exceptional physical abilities, I tell myself that if they put so much energy into managing their position, they would be monsters. »
Raphaël Varane, Madrid’s adopted child
The French international trained in Madrid after making his mark with RC Lens during the 2010-11 season. A giant leap made at the age of 18, which allowed him to progress quickly until he established himself in the 2014-15 season in the biggest club in the world. He thanks this Madrid model and believes that it is an example for world football. “I did everything a little faster than everyone else. I was lucky to arrive at a club which gives young people time to learn at a very high level and to mature physically. What they have done for years, with me, Federico Valverde, Vinicius or Rodrygo, it is exceptional. All the big clubs should copy Real. The club extends training, while elsewhere, young people start earlier and earlier and burn out more quickly. »
Despite his level and his status, Raphaël Varane had to impose himself verbally, while Zinedine Zidane preferred the association of Pepe and Sergio Ramos. However, it was Zidane who called him while he was still at Lens to convince him to join Real Madrid. This ordeal made him grow. “I learned a lot from him, even if we didn’t always agree on everything. He understands the players really well, he has always defended them, he has always taken on the difficult moments. […] At the beginning, in 2016, I was a substitute. I didn’t play every match, I had to fight. And transform myself. I was ultra-shy, and those who knew me must have wondered what happened to make me become a leader like that. »
“Football is my personality”
Raphaël Varane has dedicated his life to football until then. Everything revolved around his career. He spent his nights thinking about his mistakes on the field, he missed important moments for his family and has regrets about them. He also went through the tumults of a professional career, with the management that it requires, the manipulation to which it exposes, and all the mental load that goes with it. He criticizes his sport for having become above all a business, endangering young players who have not even started their lives. “It’s not even that I felt cheated. It’s just that the whole system is designed so that the player doesn’t think or realize that they’re being fooled. With a little experience, you see the game, the tricks, and then you have the choice: accept to be fooled and sign for your peace of mind – do your shenanigans, I concentrate on my family and on the game – or else refuse and it takes a lot of energy from you. I don’t want to say too much, but it’s important to know that football is a special industry. »
With his retirement, he acquired a form of freedom previously unknown. He looks forward to the future with enthusiasm. If he stays in the world of football, he sees himself more as a president than a coach. He does not seek to change the world, but to choose the direction in which he wants to go.
Raphaël Varane concludes his interview by sharing his vision of current football: “There is a lot less creativity, fewer geniuses on the ground. There are more physical profiles in all positions, and there are fewer players capable of unbalancing, who all play in the same register, that of one-on-one on the sides. Everything is robotic, the play patterns make it difficult to disrupt a team block. There is much less freedom. Ancelotti leaves a lot, but the new generation of coaches leaves less. Football should remain a game of mistakes, and it is much less so. »
François Simonin.
