Real Madrid defensive hero retires at the age of 31 after latest injury

Former Real Madrid, Manchester United and RC Lens centre-back Raphael Varane has announced his retirement at just 31, following a glittering career. The Frenchman joined Como this summer on a free after leaving Old Trafford, but after his latest injury, has decided to call it a day on his career.

Varane broke through as a teenage starlet at Lens, and was quickly recruited by Real Madrid, who he joined in 2011. He would spend the next decade at the Santiago Bernabeu, where he won four Champions League, three La Liga titles and one Copa del Rey. In total, he won 18 trophies in a white shirt, making 360 appearances, 17 goals and 7 assists.

He will be fondly remembered by Real Madrid fans for a rock-solid partnership with Sergio Ramos, providing for many years an unmatched pace at the back and a calm presence alongside the Sevillano.

Raphael Varane retires. A truly great defender. A pity for United they signed him ten years later than intended. His contributions to the League Cup and FA Cup wins were still profound, despite injury issues at #mufc. pic.twitter.com/eCxyqUPWrK

— Samuel Luckhurst (@samuelluckhurst) September 25, 2024

In total, Varane would make 573 appearances, including 93 caps for France, which led to a World Cup in 2018. He would also be part of their Nations League victory in 2021.

He announced his decision on Instagram on Wednesday morning, explaining that he wanted to go out strong rather than holding onto his career, and emphasized that it took courage to listen to his instinct, hinting the desire was no longer there.

Varane also noted that he had no regrets, and would not change a thing about his career, but that it was time to move onto something new. He revealed he would be remaining at the Italian side in a non-playing role.