Former Real Madrid and Manchester United defender Raphael Varane ends his football career

Raphael Varane has ended his football career after suffering a knee injury during his debut for Italian club Como.

The 31-year-old centre-back joined the Serie A side this summer after leaving Manchester United as a free agent, but he only played 20 minutes for the club in a Coppa Italia match before being substituted.

The former France international, who was a regular in the 2018 World Cup-winning team, left United this summer at the end of his contract after making 95 appearances for the club over three seasons.

Varane, best known for his time at Real Madrid, where he played 360 games in 10 seasons, had signed a two-year contract with Como with an option for a further season.

Varane won the FA Cup with Manchester United in his last game for the club (Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images)

The excellent centre-back joined United from Madrid in the summer of 2021 and helped the club win the Carabao Cup in the 2022–23 season and the FA Cup the following year.

In a social media statement, Varane said: “All good things come to an end” and stressed that he “does not regret” his career.

The defender said his achievements and memories filled him with “enormous pride and a sense of fulfilment” and that he wanted to “leave strong”. His penultimate game and final appearance was United's successful FA Cup final win in May.

He began his career at his hometown club Lens in France before moving to Madrid in 2011, where he won 18 trophies, including three La Liga titles and four Champions League crowns.

Varane also had an outstanding international career: he won the World Cup with France in 2018 and the Nations League three years later. He also played 93 international matches for his country.

In August 2023, Varane said that football was becoming “dangerous” due to increased player involvement.

“We coaches and players have been expressing our concerns for many years that there are too many games, the schedule is overcrowded and the strain on the physical and mental health of the players is dangerous,” he said.

Varane won the 2018 World Cup with France (FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images)

“Despite our previous feedback, they have now recommended for next season: longer games, more intensity and less emotion among the players. We just want to be in good shape on the pitch to give 100% to our club and our fans. Why are our opinions not being heard?”

In April of this year, Varane spoke about having suffered concussions in several football matches and that his body had been “damaged” by heading the ball during matches.

The defender said the lack of understanding of head injuries had proved detrimental to him and other footballers, and called for a restricted use of headers during training sessions.

For example, the former French international said he suffered a concussion in the 2014 World Cup round of 16 match against Nigeria when a football hit him in the temple, and claimed he played the rest of the game in “autopilot” mode.

Varane described a similar incident six years later, when he was substituted for Real Madrid in a La Liga match against Getafe after taking a header from a ball and suffering from extreme fatigue for several days afterwards.

(Top image: Visionhaus/Getty Images)