Raphaël Varane

Raphaël Xavier Varane (French: [ʁafaɛl vaʁan]; born 25 April 1993) is a French former professional footballer who played as a centre-back.

Varane played for French club Lens at youth level and, ahead of the 2010–11 season, began training with the senior team and appeared on the bench in several league matches. Varane made his professional debut in 2010 aged 17, and after one season as a professional footballer, he joined Real Madrid. There, over the course of ten seasons from 2011 to 2021, he won eighteen trophies, including three La Liga titles, one Copa del Rey, four UEFA Champions League titles and four FIFA Club World Cups. In 2021, Varane left Real Madrid to sign for Manchester United, where he won the EFL Cup and FA Cup during a three-year spell. He departed England in 2024, joining newly-promoted Serie A side Como as a free agent, but after just playing 23 minutes for the club, picked up a knee injury and was removed from the squad list, before subsequently announcing his retirement from professional football in September 2024.

Varane represented France at under-18, under-20 and under-21 level, before making his senior international debut in March 2013. He was part of France's FIFA World Cup squad in 2014, when he was nominated for the Best Young Player award, in 2018, when he played every minute as France went on to win the competition, and in 2022, when France finished as runners-up. He additionally appeared at UEFA Euro 2020, and was part of the France squad that won the UEFA Nations League in 2021. Varane announced his retirement from international football in 2023, having earned 93 caps and scored five goals.