Thursday saw Manchester United’s Raphaël Varane take everyone by surprise as he announced his decision to retire from international football.
Aged just 29, many feel the centre-back is still young enough to have an impact on the 2024 Euros, but, as per a report from Le Parisien, he decided now was the best time to do it.
This will certainly please Manchester United fans, who will no longer have to fear one of their best defenders potentially getting injured during international breaks, especially considering the player’s past injury history.
Either way, while many in France do see where the defender is coming from, there is a sense of sadness, considering how talismanic Varane has been over the years, playing a key part in their 2018 World Cup win and their recent run to the final in the 2022 edition of the tournament.
He wrote, relayed by L’Equipe: ‘Raphaël called me a few days ago to tell me he wanted to put an end to his international career. He’s an intelligent boy, who knows when to take time to reflect, weigh up the pros and cons before making a decision. He feels he’s arrived at the end of his adventure with the France national team.
“I lived a rather similar situation myself, I understand his arguments and respect his decision, even if it can seem regrettable when you look at everything he was able to do with the national team up until the World Cup, during which he behaved, from start to finish, like the leader we all know.’
Deschamps then continued: ‘Of course, I cannot turn this page without a certain emotion, because of the links we have been able to weave since August 2012. Like Hugo Lloris, he was, barring injuries, in all of my squads.’
