Raphael Varane leaves football not only with the admiration of Manchester United supporters ringing in his ears, but also the those of Real Madrid, RC Lens and the French national team.
You would be hard pressed finding anyone who has ever shared a dressing room with the legendary defender who has a single bad word to say about him.
And that includes Didier Deschamps, the France boss who led the emotional tributes to Raphael Varane after Wednesday’s bombshell news.
It’s fitting really that Varane – one of the most decorated players of the modern era – signed off with a colossal performance in an FA Cup final.
The 22nd trophy of a remarkable career.
In what would prove to be his penultimate competitive outing both for Manchester United and in football as a whole, Varane stood as strong and tall as he’s always done as Erik ten Hag’s Red Devils beat Man City in a ‘glorious’ Wembley final.
France boss reacts as Manchester United hero Raphael Varane retires
Varane was a footballing purist too.
When leaving Old Trafford over the summer – Man United opted not to renew Varane’s contract at the start of July – he opted not for the financial riches of the Middle East.
Instead, Varane chose to swap Man United for Como, enticed to the Serie A newcomers by their ambitious project as much as their picturesque, made-for-postcards surroundings.
The 2018 World Cup winner only lasted 23 minutes on his debut in the Coppa Italia, however. Manager Cesc Fabregas admitted Varane’s Como future had become uncertain as a result, having been left out of the club’s Serie A squad for the first-half of the season.
As such, it was not exactly a massive surprise when the news broke on Wednesday morning that Varane – so often afflicted by injury over the years – had hung up his boots.
And Deschamps could not be more supportive the 31-year-old’s decision to back out at the very top level – with an FA Cup medal hanging around his neck – rather than put his body through the ringer for another couple of seasons.
“Knowing him, I know that this decision, always difficult to make, is the result of careful consideration,” Deschamps sighs, speaking to the French FA website. “It is therefore the right one, which we must respect.
“Speed, vision, technique, mentality, Raphael had all the qualities required to achieve this magnificent career.
“For ten years, the France national team was another family for him. He will always be welcome there.”
Bruno Fernandes and David de Gea among United icons to pay tribute
“He arrived young and quickly established himself as a leader on the field but also off it, where his opinion was listened to and respected. I’ll remember a player always oriented towards others and the team,” adds Deschamps, who handed Varane the majority of his 93 Le Bleus caps.
“With France, but also with every team he played for, he was always remembered as a great professional. For that and everything else, we must say a big thank you. I wish him to be happy in the new challenges of his choice.
“He will also be able to devote himself to his family, which means a lot to him.”
Labelled a ‘football monster’ with ‘a high sense of anticipation and extraordinary speed’ by France assistant Guy Stephan, surely every coach who has ever worked with Varane will share his assessment that coaching a bonafide modern-day great was nothing short of ‘an honour’.
Bruno Fernandes, Diogo Dalot, David de Gea, Scott McTominay and Paul Pogba are among the countless former team-mates paying tribute. Clearly, Varane was a player adored in the Man United dressing room.
“Amazing player, incredible person. Football will miss you,” De Gea writes in response to Varane’s Instagram post.
“Legend Rapha,” adds McTominay. “Good luck.”
Dalot’s message was, perhaps, the most fitting of all. He talked for each and every Man United supporter when he said; ‘Football will miss you, my warrior”.
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