Real Madrid have released a heartfelt message on their official website following the retirement of former player Raphael Varane. Varane took to his Instagram a few hours ago to announce his retirement from the game after he suffered an injury at his new club Como in Serie A.
The Frenchman recently joined Como after spells with Manchester United and Real Madrid. An injury suffered on his debut at the Italian club prevented him from being registered, which made him call time on his career.
Despite his early retirement, the 31-year-old had an illustrious career as he won a plethora of trophies. Most of his achievements came when he was at Real Madrid. During his time at the Santiago Bernabeu, he won 18 titles in 360 games. This included 3 La Liga titles, 3 UEFA Super Cups, 1 Copa del Rey, 4 UEFA Champions League titles, 3 Spanish Super Cups, and 4 Club World Cups.
Even though Varane is no longer playing for Real Madrid, the club recognized everything he helped them achieve when he was still plying his trade at the Spanish capital. In appreciation, they took to their official website to release a heartfelt farewell message for him.
”Raphaël Varane will forever remain in the hearts of all Real Madrid fans as one of the greatest centre-backs in the history of Real Madrid and for always representing the values of our club. Real Madrid wishes him and his entire family the best of luck in this new stage of his life.”
In his 11 years with Los Blancos, he scored 17 goals and provided seven assists in 360 appearances across competitions.
How Raphael Varane fared at Real Madrid
Raphael Varane made a life-changing switch from Ligue 1 side Lens to Real Madrid in the summer of 2011 for a reported fee of €11 million. When he arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu, he was given the number 19 shirt. He made his debut for the club in a preseason game against MLS side LA Galaxy as a substitute as Los Blancos cruised to a 4-1 victory.
On September 21, 2011, Raphael Varane made his competitive debut in La Liga against Racing Santander, with the match ending 0-0. In Madrid’s next league match, he scored his first goal for the club with a flying heel from a Mesut Ozil corner as they cruised to a 6-2 victory. The goal made him the youngest foreign player to score a goal in a competitive match for Real Madrid (18 years and 152 days).
The same month, Varane made his Champions League debut for Los Blancos against Ajax, in which they won 3-0. In his prime years at the club, he formed a formidable partnership with Sergio Ramos at the heart of Madrid’s defense and won multiple trophies there. He left the club in 2021 to join Premier League side Manchester United.
