In an interview with Canal+, Raphaël Varane revealed an anecdote about Cristiano Ronaldo when he arrived at Real Madrid. The French defender also returned to the always special context around Champions League matches.
Having played for Real Madrid between 2011 and 2021, Raphaël Varane has since played for Manchester United. In 10 years at Casa Blanca, the French central defender has experienced it all. In an interview with Canal+, he recounts his debut alongside Cristiano Ronaldo at Real with a rather tasty anecdote.
“On the ground, you have to be respected”
Arriving in 2011 at Real Madrid, Raphaël Varane arrived at the Merengue two years after a certain Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese could have intimidated the French international upon his arrival but the latter knew how to gain respect.
“Is it true what we say with Cristiano Ronaldo who calls you Varane and you answer him ‘I’m Rapha’?” asks Olivier Dacourt. An anecdote confirmed by the current Manchester United defender. “Yes it’s true, I think that on the field there is no need to be shy. I am someone who is quite reserved outside but on the field you have to make your own place and be respected” , replies the world champion.
“The days before the Champions League, training is not the same”
If there is one club where the Champions League is more important than anything, it is Real Madrid. Raphaël Varane lived in this context of pressure: “The Champions League is the adrenaline rush, it’s the big matches, it’s the big challenge. You move on to the revealer, that is to say that your season it’s good or it’s not. It’s a toss-up match. You pass or you go out.”
“The days before the Champions League, training is not the same. The intensity, the nervous tension, the concentration, everything is multiplied.”
“That’s the challenge for great teams, to succeed in winning the weekend by putting less energy on the pitch. You can’t put your energy into it three days before at full strength and three days later at full strength, you “I can’t do a marathon every day. I had periods where we played Clasico, Champions League, Clasico, in a week you feel like you’ve lived a life,” he concludes.
2024-02-22 11:52:48
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