MADRID — The French international defender Raphael Varane, former Lens, Real Madrid and Manchester United player, announced this Tuesday, through a letter published on his networks, his retirement from professional football. at only 31 years old.
Raphael Varane (photo) announced his retirement as a professional at the age of 31. Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
“They say good things must come to an end. In my career I took on many challenges, getting up again and again. It was supposed to be impossible. Incredible emotions, special moments and memories that will last a lifetime. Reflecting on these moments, I announce with immense pride and satisfaction my retirement from the sport that we all love,” announced the defender born in Lille on April 25, 1993.
“I demand the most from myself, I want to retire strong, not just clinging to the game. It takes a great dose of courage to listen to your heart and your instinct. Desire and needs are two different things. I fell and got up thousands of times, and this time, it was time to stop and hang up my boots with my last game winning a trophy at Wembley” (the League Cup),” he noted.
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“I loved fighting for myself, for my clubs, for my country, for my teammates and for the fans of all the teams I played for. From Lens to Madrid, through Manchester and playing for our national team. I defended every I shield with everything I have, and I loved every minute of the journey. Football at the highest level is an exciting experience. It tests all levels of the body and mind. As athletes, we are never satisfied, we never accept success. It is our nature and what drives us,” says the French player.
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“I don’t regret anything, I wouldn’t change anything. I won more than I could have dreamed of, but beyond the accolades and trophies, I am proud to have maintained my principles of sincerity and to have tried to leave all things better than they were. that I found them. I hope I have made them proud,” he says.
“And so begins a new life off the pitch. I will continue at Como (the club I had signed for). Only without wearing my boots and shin guards,” says Varane, who thanks all the clubs, teammates, coaches, staff and supporters of the clubs and teams he played for and for “making this journey more special than I could have ever dreamed”.
Trained in the Racing Lens youth team, in whose first team he debuted at just 17 years old, He quickly signed for Real Madrid, where little by little he made a place for himself to end up being one of the undisputed centre-backs..
He was at the Madrid club from the 2011-12 campaign to 2020-21, a stage in which He won three leagues, two Spanish Super Cups and one Copa del Rey, as well as four UEFA Champions Leagues, three European Super Cups and four Club World Cups..
was part of the French world champion team in Russia 2018 and the 2021 Nations League (he was an absolute international on 93 occasions) and in the 2021-22 campaign he joined the Manchester Unitedin which he spent three seasons and managed to win the League Cup and the Cup.
For this campaign he had signed for Cesc Fábregas’s Como, but at his own request he finally could not be registered due to his knee injury, which finally made him make the decision to retire.
