Varane reveals: “The football system is designed to deceive”
Former Real Madrid star recently ended his career shortly after signing for Como
It was less than a month ago that, at just 31 years of age, Raphael Varane hung up his boots, due to the successive injuries that marked the final part of his career. Despite being a recent signing for Como, the central defender was unable to continue playing after another physical setback and reflected on the football industry in an interview with L’Équipe .
“It’s not right to say that I feel betrayed [ by football ]. The problem is that the whole system is built so that players don’t think and don’t see that it’s done to deceive them. When you have some experience, you see the game and the strings,” explained the former Lens , Real Madrid and Manchester United player .
Varane, a four-time Champions League winner , described the structure that top players need today: “A player is a company that needs management. In training they don’t teach us how to change our social status, how to manage the changes in our lives with our entourage. I’ve seen so many careers that never took off and families that imploded.”
Finally, the former central defender, who also won the 2018 World Cup with France, criticized what football has become on the field: «There is little creativity these days, there are no geniuses on the field, just more space for athletes with good physical ability.»
“Everything is robotic, the game systems remove the element of surprise. Carlo Ancelotti is one of those coaches who gives some freedom, the younger generation of coaches don’t. Football should be a game of mistakes and there are fewer and fewer of those,” concluded Varane.
