Raphael Varane admits he played final 11 years of trophy-laden career 'on one knee'
Former Manchester United star was forced to retire last month at the age of 31 after he "mastered the art" of defending
Raphael Varane has revealed he played the final 11 years of his career - including his three seasons at Manchester United - with only “one knee”. And the France World Cup winner admitted: “I haven’t tackled for years”.
Varane announced his retirement at the age of 31 last month after suffering a left knee injury on his debut for Como. And the former Real Madrid star said his left knee had been compensating for his right knee since an injury to his meniscus in 2013.
“So if my left knee was telling me it had had enough, I had to listen,” Varane told L’Equipe. “Since the age of 20, I have played with the sword of Damocles hanging above my right knee. The right knee had become strong but less mobile and my left knee did everything for power and pushing off. How did I play for 11 years with one knee? With a lot of effort, sacrifices, care and learning to manage a new balance.
“Psychologically, when I entered the pitch, I couldn’t say to the others, or even myself, that I had only one knee. In fact, if you only looked at the knee, you would worry. I knew I could get hurt, break my knee, but we all live with risk. We don’t put our lives on the line like gladiators but we play with our physical issues, that is who we are. Since we were small, we are tough guys. We have played with pain all our lives.”
Varane, who won four Champions League titles with Real Madrid, added: “I sometimes said that to myself: ‘With two legs, that would have been something’. I take all that lightly but it’s also because I had this problem, I mastered my art.
"I haven’t tackled for years. I wait for the right moment to make an impact in a duel, when to stop, accelerate or start my run before an attacker. I wouldn’t have mastered my position as much without this knee. When I see young players with exceptional physical abilities, I wonder if they put as much energy into managing their position, they would be monsters.”
Varane, who won the FA Cup in his final appearance for Manchester United, added: “I am not sure careers last longer. The average age is falling, for example, in the Premier League. If I had stopped before, I would have had regrets. Now I know I could go no further and I can be proud of all that.”
Varane, who signed for Real Madrid in 20111, also claimed there is “less creativity, fewer geniuses on the pitch” in modern football. “Everything is robotic, there are game patterns that make it difficult to shake up a team’s block,” he said. “There is much less freedom.”
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