Courtesy: X
On Thursday, September 25, Raphael Varane, the French defender, announced his retirement from football at 31 years of age in an emotional post on Instagram. During his illustrious professional football career, which lasted for 14 years, Raphael Varane was one of the most important players for his teams in club and international football, with whom he managed to win many individual and team honours.
Born in Lille, France, on April 25, 1993, Raphael Varane joined Lens, where he spent all of his youth career before signing a professional contract in 2010 with them. After a couple of months of playing for the second team at Lens, the Frenchman was called up to the senior team, where he took part in 23 matches in the 2010-11 season, scoring two goals in the process.
Raphael Varane won 18 trophies with Real Madrid during his 10-year tenure in Spain
In the summer of 2011, Real Madrid signed Raphael Varane, where he spent the prime years of his career, winning all the possible trophies in Spain, including the La Liga three times, Copa del Rey once, and the UEFA Champions League four times, along with four FIFA Club World Cup titles. During his 10-year career at the Galacticos, the centre-back made 236 appearances across all competitions, scoring eight goals for them.
During his footballing peak, Raphael Varane played a critical role for France in reaching two FIFA World Cup finals in back-to-back editions, winning the coveted trophy once in 2018 before securing the UEFA Nations League title in 2020-21 season. He played for the national team from 2013-2022, winning 93 caps and scoring five goals after being a part of their under-18, under-20, and under-21 setups.
Raphael Varane's last trophy was FA Cup with Manchester United
After leaving Real Madrid, Raphael Varane joined Manchester United in 2021, playing 68 matches and scoring two goals for the English club across three seasons, while suffering from a few fitness issues. He managed to win the League Cup in 2023 before bowing out of Manchester United with a FA Cup triumph against Manchester City at Wembley Stadium earlier this summer.
Following his departure from Manchester, Raphael Varane joined Como on a free transfer, and in his first appearance for the Italian club, he suffered a knee injury against Sampdoria in the Coppa Italia match last month. After a few weeks, he made the decision to retire from football, while announcing his intention to stay a part of Como in a non-playing role for a foreseeable future.
