Raphael Varane left Real Madrid to join Man United in the 2021 summer transfer window and spent three seasons at Old Trafford.
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Raphael Varane sits on a sofa, appearing on a chat show.
Raphael Varane spent three seasons at Manchester United.(Image: ESN Media - The Bridge.)
Former centre-back Raphael Varane has described his time at Manchester United as an "incredible experience" after opening up on his decision to swap Real Madrid for Old Trafford.
Varane joined United in August 2021 for a fee of £43million, ending his decade-long spell at Madrid after winning almost 20 major honours during his time in the Spanish capital.
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The Frenchman, who was widely regarded as one of the best centre-backs of his generation, added both experience and quality to United's backline and his second season at the club saw him create a solid partnership with Lisandro Martinez, helping the club win the Carabao Cup and secure Champions League qualification.
After three seasons at United, Varane was released at the end of the 2023/24 campaign, signing off by helping the Reds beat rivals Manchester City in the FA Cup final. However, shortly after joining Italian side Como, the defender was forced to retire in September at the age of just 31.
Varane has now opened up on his decision to leave Madrid and join United almost four years ago, admitting he had won everything possible in Spain and he wanted to embrace a new challenge.
"It was actually a long process," Varane said, speaking on The Bridge. "It's not like you wake up in the morning and say I want to leave.
"In 2018, I won everything; in fact, we celebrated our fourth Champions League title quickly. It was like a normal thing, the next step is to win the Champions League and think about the next one.
"Then I won the World Cup and I said to myself, 'I've done it all'. There came a point in my life where I restructured myself, reviewed some things regarding my career management, and said to myself, 'I need to keep feeling emotions, I need something different'.
"Madrid is indescribable, it's exceptional, but I've already experienced it. 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 some time has passed, I have no regrets because it was an incredible experience."
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