A closer look at the career of Raphaël Varane

-

"Champions League Varane..."

Raphaël Varane is a former French professional footballer who played as a centre-back for Real Madrid, Manchester United and the France national side.

Author - Peter Grainger from GMCR Football

_MG_2846
Varane playing for France. Photo credit - Xavier NALTCHAYAN | Flickr

The start of his career with Lille

Varane began his career at French club Lens, starting with their youth team. Ahead of the 2010–11 season, he began training with the senior squad and appeared on the bench in several league games. He made his professional debut in 2010 at just 17 years old. 

Becoming an iconic defender at Real Madrid

After one season as a professional, he joined Real Madrid, where he spent ten years, from 2011 to 2021, winning eighteen trophies. These included three La Liga titles, a Copa del Rey, four UEFA Champions League titles, and four FIFA Club World Cups. 

Known for his pace, composure, and partnership with Sergio Ramos, many fans believe that he was instrumental in Madrid’s successes. It would be very hard to argue with them. 

One of his most iconic moments at Real Madrid came in the 2018 Champions League final against Liverpool. Solid as ever in defence, he helped Madrid secure a 3-1 victory and clinch their third consecutive Champions League trophy. His calm and commanding presence at the back was vital as Madrid lifted another major title. He had completed football at this point but there was still more to come.

Moving to Manchester

In 2021, Varane left Real Madrid to join Manchester United, where he won both the EFL Cup and FA Cup during his three-year stay. In 2024, he left Manchester United to sign with newly promoted Serie A side Como as a free agent. 

Despite some injury problems, many United fans seemed to appreciate Varane's effort during his time at Old Trafford. There was even a song by fans on the internet to the tune of Murder on the Dancefloor by Sophie Ellis-Bextor. You could see he clearly developed a strong relationship with the fans during the post match celebrations after that FA Cup win.

A very short spell in Italy and eventual retirement

However, after only 23 minutes on the pitch, he suffered a knee injury, was removed from the squad, and soon after, in September 2024, he announced his retirement from professional football.

On the international stage

On the international stage, Varane represented France at under-18, under-20, and under-21 levels before making his senior debut in March 2013. He featured in France’s FIFA World Cup squad in 2014, where he was nominated for the Best Young Player award, then in 2018, playing every minute as France claimed the title, and again in 2022, when France finished as runners-up. 

He also took part in UEFA Euro 2020 and was part of the squad that won the UEFA Nations League in 2021. Varane retired from international football in 2023, finishing with 93 caps and five goals for France.

Location: 22100 Como, Province of Como, Italy

Popular posts from this blog

Win for United in Ruud's last match as Interim Manager

-
Image
Manchester United 3 - 0 Leicester City Bruno Fernandes celebrated his 250th appearance for Manchester United by delivering an impressive performance as Ruud van Nistelrooy concluded his time as interim manager with a 3-0 victory over Leicester in the Premier League. Author - Olivia T Fernandes opened the scoring and later netted a second goal that was officially credited as an own goal by Victor Kristiansen. He also assisted Alejandro Garnacho for a brilliant third goal, helping United secure their third win in four matches since the departure of Erik ten Hag as manager. The home fans serenaded Van Nistelrooy at the final whistle . The Dutchman can be pleased with the return of three wins and a draw from four games, even if United remain in the bottom half of the table. He now leaves Old Trafford after it has been confirmed that he won't form a part of the new manager's coaching staff.  Super Reds News Post Match Review: United 3 - 0 Leicester Fernandes shines for Ruud
Read more

PL News: Ten Hag sacked by Man United

-
Image
There has been a managerial change at Old Trafford. Manchester United have sacked manager Erik ten Hag due to the club's disappointing start to the season. Author - Olivia T Ten Hag's last match ended in a 2-1 defeat against West Ham , leaving the club in 14th place in the Premier League with only three wins from their first nine matches. The Red Devils are also 21st of 36 teams in the Europa League league stage, having drawn their three opening matches. Club sources from the club have reportedly suggested that this was a difficult decision but a unanimous one among all the key decision makers.  The club exercised a one-year extension in Ten Hag's contract after their FA Cup final win against Manchester City in May . However, just over three months later, he has been dismissed. United currently sit on 11 points after nine games, marking their second-lowest tally in the Premier League at this stage (only slightly better than the 10 points they had in the 2019-20 season)
Read more

EFL Cup: United progress after difficult few days

-
Image
Manchester United 5 - 2 Leicester City  Ruud van Nistelrooy began his tenure as Manchester United’s interim manager on a high, with his team cruising past Leicester to secure a spot in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals. Author - Olivia T Just two days after stepping in following Erik ten Hag's dismissal , Van Nistelrooy’s call for an exciting performance was more than delivered by his players. Casemiro got the party started with a stunning long-range strike and went on to score again before half-time. After an initial header rattled off both posts, the Brazilian reacted quickly to slot the ball in from eight yards out. Alejandro Garnacho contributed his fifth goal of the season , and captain Bruno Fernandes had a bit of luck with his free-kick, which deflected off Leicester’s James Justin and into the net. Defensively, United weren’t flawless. Some familiar issues allowed Bilal El Khannouss and Conor Coady to pull goals back for Leicester before the break. Coady’s finish, a firs
Read more