Raphael Varane, the champion of the France World Cup, said on Wednesday that he is retiring from football at the age of thirty-one. He also stated that he will continue to work at Como as a non-player.
After signing with the Italian team for this season, former Real Madrid and Manchester United center back Varane was left out of their Serie A roster due to a knee injury he sustained in August.
“Off the field, a new life begins,” Varane posted on social media.
“I’m sticking with Como. Just without my shin protectors and boots. Something I hope to talk more about in the near future.”
Varane joined Real Madrid in 2011 at the age of eighteen, having graduated from the French club Lens’s academy.
In his first season in the Spanish capital, he won the first of his three La Liga titles.
He won the first of his four Champions League titles in 2014, and three years later he completed a league and European double.
After joining United in 2021, Varane helped the English team win the League Cup and FA Cup, but injuries plagued him during his spell at Old Trafford.
After playing just one Coppa Italia match, he departed United at the end of the previous season to join Cesc Fabregas’s recently promoted Como team. However, he later suffered a knee injury.
“From Lens to Madrid to Manchester, and playing for our national team,” stated Varane.
“I have defended every badge with everything I have, and loved every minute of the journey.”
Varane made his debut for France in 2013, and the highlight of his international career came in the 2018 World Cup final, where Les Bleus defeated Croatia 4-2.
With 93 caps to his name, he played his final game for France in the 2022 World Cup, which Argentina won on penalties.
“I have won more than I could have even dreamed of,” Varane stated.
“But beyond the accolades and trophies, I am proud that no matter what, I have stuck to my principles of being sincere and have tried to leave everywhere better than I found it.”
Former United teammate Bruno Fernandes, a Portuguese midfielder, was among those who paid respect to Varane.
“We all had a great time,” Fernandes wrote on Instagram.
Varane, who left the football team at the age of 29, attributed his retirement to the intense physical and psychological strain that elite players endure.
He has also expressed worries about the potential long-term effects of concussions sustained by athletes.
