Boasting a collection of silverware only a mere few can rival, Raphael Varane is arguably one of the greatest defenders of his generation – and he’s now revealed why he opted for a shock from Real Madrid to Manchester United move back in 2021.
A World Cup winner with France, Varane became a vital cog in Los Blancos’ winning machine in the 2010s and accrued a throng of trophies, which included four Champions League crowns, three La Liga titles and the same number of Spanish Super Cups.
It, therefore, came as a bit of a shock when Varane – widely regarded as one of the greatest players in Real Madrid history – opted for a £41 million-worth move to the Red Devils four years ago. Still at the age of 28, the Frenchman was in his pomp.
Lille-born Varane’s arrival elicited nothing but excitement among the Old Trafford faithful, prior to their match against Leeds United in 2021 under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s somewhat dysfunctional tenure, as thousands of fans were on their feet at his unveiling.
Varane Explains His Shock Move from Madrid to Manchester
'Madrid is indescribable, it’s exceptional, but I’ve already experienced it'
Concluding his Manchester United stint with an FA Cup final victory against Manchester City, Varane planned to spend his swansong in Italy with Cesc Fabregas-led Como but called it a day and hung up his boots – at the tender age of 31 – in the summer of 2024.
The now-retired central defender has revealed why he took a jump and moved to a struggling Manchester United in 2021 while speaking to The Bridge podcast. Per 90min, he said: “Madrid is indescribable, it’s exceptional, but I’ve already experienced it.”
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The RC Lens academy graduate then insisted that he wanted a change of scenery from winning all there is to win in the Spanish capital and placed importance on the ‘passion for football’ that English football – and the Red Devils in particular – possesses.
"And I said to myself, I want to experience something else. For me, England, and Manchester in particular, is where you feel the passion for football, you feel it, you live it every day. Now that time has passed, I have no regrets because it was an incredible experience.
Although Varane has insinuated that he has little to no regrets over his surprise transfer, that’s not prevented him from taking aim at the club’s powers that be and their continuous – and painfully obvious – mismanagement over the years.
In an interview with The Athletic, he said: “Even from the inside, as a player, there wasn’t a clear structure on how things were going to work. There hasn’t been a fixed methodology for years. At Madrid, they have a defined way of doing things at every level of the club.
“At Manchester United, it was not clear or defined enough to know how to recruit,” the 93-cap France international continued before highlighting the differences between his two former clubs: “There weren’t the same procedures, processes, structure.”