France and Manchester United centre-back Raphael Varane has announced his retirement from international football.
The 29 year-old made the revelation on Thursday, as he intends to now focus fully on club commitments with Premier League giants Manchester United.
Varane said: “Representing our great country for a decade has been one of the greatest honours of my life. Every time I wore this very special blue jersey, I felt immense pride. The duty to give it all, play my heart out and win every time we put on the field.”
“I’ve been contemplating this for several months and deciding it’s the right time for me to retire internationally. As a child, I remember following France 98, this team, these players who made us experience indescribable emotions,” said Varane.”
“I dreamed of being our heroes and 20 years later I lived one of the best experiences of my life, one that made me really proud. We brought home the Cup!
“I will never forget it. I still feel every single one of the emotions felt on that day, July 15, 2018. That was one of the most amazing and memorable moments of my life.”
Varane, who signed for the Red Devils from Real Madrid in the summer of 2021, is the latest player to retire from the national team set-up after the World Cup, following Tottenham goalkeeper and captain Hugo Lloris – who stepped down three weeks after the final in January. Varane had been expected to take over the French captaincy from Hugo Lloris.
Varane made a total of 93 appearances for Les Blues and scored five goals, with his debut coming way back in 2013. He won the FIFA World Cup in Russia in 2018. His last appearance was in the Final of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, where France lost to Argentina via penalties.
Apex Football News 