07 February 2023 , 12:20
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Raphael Varane maintains that he still would have retired from France had Zinedine Zidane taken charge of Les Blues.
The Manchester United star called time on his international career recently at the age of 29. Varane had been a mainstay for several years, helping his country win the World Cup in Russia back in 2018. The centre-half spent his entire international career playing under Didier Deschamps.
Having just led France to another World Cup final, this time losing out to Argentina on penalties, Deschamps has opted to remain as boss despite many expecting Zidane to have a crack at international management. The Ballon d'Or winner has coached Varane at Madrid, but the player insists he wouldn't have changed his mind regardless of who was in charge.
He told Canal+: “No, it wouldn’t have changed anything,” before claiming that his retirement was a “personal decision”. Varane went on to add: "It has nothing to do with off-pitch matters, whether it be the other players and their international careers, the extension of the manager’s contract, or what is going on at the moment at the federation. It has nothing to do with a decision that was personal.”
Varane has since faced criticism for his decision, but cited the demands placed on players in the modern game as a factor. "I gave everything, physically and mentally. But the very highest level is like a washing machine, you play all the time and you never stop," he told RMC:
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"We have overloaded schedules and play non-stop. Right now, I feel like I’m suffocating and that [Varane] the player is gobbling up [Varane] the man."
Raphael Varane has called time on his international career (Getty Images)Deschamps has since penned a new deal that keeps him in charge until 2026, with his staff also staying on. The likes of William Saliba are poised to step into Varane's shoes with United boss Erik ten Hag admitting his international retirement will be of benefit to his club.
He said: "Yeah, for United, I think it’s good news. I think Rapha has achieved everything, in international football, and club-wise. I think it is incredible what he has achieved. Big respect [to him] and I’m happy he now puts all of his energy and his experience into our team.
"He still has a lot to come because he is ambitious. He wants to win with Manchester United. I didn’t discuss [it with him]. Rapha is experienced, he makes his own decisions of course about that. But he gave me the information that he was intending to do this, yes. I can only express my deep respect for his career until now."