A serious injury that looks like it could end his career. For his first and so far only match with Como in the middle of August (1st round of the Italian Cup against Sampdoria), Raphaël Varane only lasted 23 minutes. Injured in the knee, he had to give up his place, probably suspecting the seriousness of the situation. Cesc Fabregas’ club, the man who brought the Frenchman to Italy, decided outright not to include him in its list of players qualified for the championship.
“I feel sorry for him, he has suffered many injuries during his career. It seems like it is the knee but I can’t say anything more specifically, we have to check with the doctor first” his coach ruled. Since then, no news or almost. And that’s not a good sign. Some media outlets have even echoed an early termination of contract, while a two-year lease had been signed a few weeks before. There is nothing official at the moment but the information unfortunately goes in the same direction.
14 seasons at the highest level
Almost four weeks after this last episode, The Parisian indicates tonight that the central defender is simply thinking about retiring from the sport. He could even make the announcement in the next few hours, he who is only 31 years old, but who has been immersed in the professional world for 14 seasons after his years of training at Lens, then the consecration at Real Madrid (4 Champions Leagues) before a detour to Manchester United, and therefore Como. Of course, the common thread throughout all these years has been the French team (93 caps, 5 goals).
A true pillar of Didier Deschamps since his first selections in 2013, at not even 20 years old, the central defender has established himself as one of the best players in the world in his position, when his body left him alone. The disappointment of Euro 2016 over (injured), he reached the top with the Blues during the World Cup in Russia two years later, coming close to the feat again in Qatar 4 years later. If the information were to be confirmed in the coming hours, Varane would then be the 3rd 2018 world champion to retire after Blaise Matuidi and Adil Rami.
