At just 30 years old and 14 of them as a professional soccer player, French defender Raphael Varane can say that his career as a player has been one full of great achievements and successes at the club and national team level as well. Varane debuted at RC Lens in his native France and then joined the ranks of Real Madrid in Spain where he spent 10 years before heading to the Premier League and dressing up as the ‘Red Devil’ as a Manchester United player.
The 1 meter 90 tall central defender made history with the national team of his country in the 2018 Russia World Cup by winning it and being considered one of the best players in said tournament. However, Varane’s health was compromised in several moments that marked his career and this was confirmed by the defender himself in an extensive interview that he had recently and confirmed that he had suffered from concussions in his career as a player. .
Varane finally spoke about it
“Personally I don’t know if I will live to be 100 years old, but I know that I damaged my body,” said the player in dialogue with the French newspaper L’Equipe. Varane made it clear how a situation that is part of the game such as heading the ball on different occasions affected his health and, incredible as it may seem, resulted in his health being compromised, even to the point of brain damage.
“If we review three of the worst games of my career, there are at least two of the previous ones in which he had suffered a concussion a few days before: against Germany in the quarterfinals of the 2014 World Cup (1-0 loss) and with Real Madrid against Manchester City in the round of 16 of the 2020 Champions League ( return match in England that ended 2-1 for the visit)”, commented the footballer born in the city of Lille.
Problems in the middle of the World Cup
Varane recalled that in the round of 16 match of the World Cup against Nigeria, he hit the ball with his temple and then ended up on the ground inside the goal in the net: “I finish the game, but I’m on ‘autopilot’ mode. If someone had spoken to me at that moment I don’t even know if I would have been able to respond. I don’t remember the game after this shock,” explained the central defender.
After explaining that he felt dehydrated and that, despite not being 100% fit, He didn’t want to miss the game against Germany to qualify for the World Cup semi-finals, Varane said the following about it: “I felt eye fatigue. Looking back, I say to myself, ‘If I had known it was a concussion, would I have said so, even if it meant not playing this game?’ I don’t even know if there was evidence ten years ago. How can I measure at that moment my ability to play or not? You can’t blame the doctors either, it’s a bit of a bastard situation. In ten years, I never wanted to talk about it because it might sound like an apology and I never wanted it to seem that way, because it’s not.”
The goal that gave Germany victory was scored by Mats Hummels, and Varane was precisely the man who was marking him at that moment: “Personally, he asked me if I was suitable. I felt diminished, but in the end I played and played quite well, although I lost this duel. “What we will never know is what would have happened if he had received another hit to the head,” added the United player.
Varane also remembered the duel against Getafe for the Spanish leaguewhich was prior to the match against Manchester City of those led by Pep Guardiola in which he made a key error that resulted in the elimination of the merengue team.
“During a league match I received a ball on the head from a corner and had to leave the field. I followed a five-day recovery protocol without much effort. Then we had a few days off and I remember feeling intensely tired, but I thought it was related to the usual decompression at the end of the season,” Varane recalled.
“I felt it (fatigue and not being at 100%) since the warm-up, I told myself: wake up. I almost wanted to slap myself. During the match, my first three balls were technically clean, but it was too slow. I couldn’t concentrate on staying in my match, I was like a spectator. The game went badly for me and, in retrospect, I realized that it was related to the shock I had suffered,” he recalled about the 2-1 defeat for Real Madrid, with the Frenchman himself being one of the players who was in the actions of City’s goals.
Advice for your child on this whole topic
The French player said that he advised his 7-year-old son not to try to head the ball after finally understanding the consequences that this can entail. “The dangers of heading must be instilled in all amateur and youth soccer fields.”
“My experience allowed me to have the right reflexes and I would like it to be useful to other players without them having to experience the same things as me. I put myself in danger. Talking about it can allow them to better analyze the situation and make decisions knowing the risks,” concluded the Manchester United player.
Keep reading:
Will Lionel Messi play against Rayados de Monterrey?
Lionel Messi trains with Inter Miami and aims to play against Monterrey in the Concachampions
Fernando Ortiz fears that Monterrey will be harmed by Lionel Messi