Earlier on Thursday, Raphaël Varane stunned the whole of France by revealing that he would be retiring from the France national team.
He became the third player to do so following the loss against Argentina after Tottenham’s Hugo Lloris and Steve Mandanda, with the former since reacting to the news.
The Spurs goalkeeper was in a very different position to Varane, as he is 36 years old, compared to the defender only being 29, and yet he wasn’t overly surprised.
That’s because the Tottenham player already had clues it would happen, as he told L’Equipe.
He said: “I knew he was going in that direction. You can only say bravo for everything he’s achieved with Les Bleus. It has been an honour to play with him, to be a part of so many call-ups with him and to have counted on him as much as I did as a player and a person.”
The Tottenham goalkeeper then added a bit later after recalling specific moments together: “In 10 years, we have spent a lot of time together. We always trusted each other and we always complemented each other. Raph has always been selfless, always thinking about the success of the team, but he still has a lot of good years ahead of him!”
Lloris earned his first cap on November 19th 2008, and went on to play 145 times for France over the years, while Varane retires having donned his country’s shirt 93 times, having scored five goals since his debut on the 22nd of March 2013.
The two will now most likely next see each other on the pitch on April 25th, when Manchester United and Tottenham face off in the Premier League in London.
