A decade after Sir Alex Ferguson first attempted to sign him, Raphael Varane has finally joined Manchester United and has excelled as a centre-back.
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Among the new players who joined Manchester United this summer, Cristiano Ronaldo may have grabbed all of the attention. It is important to note, however, that the club not only added more firepower to their front line, but also reinforced their backline by signing Ronaldo’s former Real Madrid teammate – Raphael Varane. A decade after Sir Alex Ferguson first attempted to sign him, Varane has finally joined United and has excelled in the centre-back role alongside Harry Maguire so far. It was in the summer of 2011, when European giants were queuing up to sign the Frenchman. Among them was Sir Alex, who appeared at the door of his mother’s house in Lille to try and persuade him to join the Old Trafford club.
Varane, who was 18 at the time, ended up choosing Real Madrid due to a late intervention from French legend Zinedine Zidane. “It was a special moment for me and my family,” Varane tells Sky Sports. “It’s amazing to meet a person like him at 18. You know, after that, it’s your destiny. Ten years in Madrid and now I’m here.”
Raphael Varane went onto become one of the world’s most decorated defenders at Real Madrid, winning 18 trophies, including four Champions Leagues. He also got the World Cup-winners medal with France in 2018. After joining United, current manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has talked up Varane’s quality and experience. “That’s my mentality,” says Varane. “I want to be better. I want to improve. I want to push myself. This is a new challenge for me. A different competition, a different mentality, a different atmosphere. It’s all new for me but I’ve enjoyed every day so far.
“It’s a big challenge to get Manchester United back to the top but I feel people want to win, people want to do great things with this club, and that’s a big motivation for me.”
Talking about the conversation he had with Solskjaer, Varane said, “He spoke to me about the ambition of the team, and how I would feel playing for Manchester United.” Having his international team-mate Paul Pogba in the team also helped Raphael Varane.
“Paul spoke to me about the club, about the atmosphere, about the expectations,” says Varane. “Of course, he is a great player. But he also has very good, positive energy. He is a leader for the group. I’ve known him for a very long time so I’m happy to play with him.”
Varane’s influence on the pitch has often been praised by his teammates and the coaching staff, but he has rarely been the spotlight man. “I don’t play football for this focus,” he shrugs. “I just want to help the team and do my best. I want to improve and be who I am on the pitch. That’s my objective and my mentality.”
Raphael Varane is also reunited with his former Real Madrid team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo at Old Trafford in the transfer window. “I think he is the best example in the world in terms of work ethic and winning mentality,” says Varane.
“Playing with this type of player, you improve every day. If he is still playing to such a high level at his age, it’s because his work is amazing. I’m very happy to play with him.”
