French defender Rafael Varane, who won the 2018 FIFA World Cup, announced Thursday his retirement from international football at the age of 29. And the runner-up of the Qatar World Cup 2022 wrote on his Instagram account, “I’ve been thinking about it for a few months and decided that it was the right time for me to retire internationally.” This decision is considered surprising, after he was the most prominent candidate to assume the leadership armband with the start of the 2024 European Cup qualifiers next month, after goalkeeper Hugo Lloris retired last month. The current Manchester United defender won 93 caps in a career that began a decade ago in 2013.
“Representing our great country for a decade has been one of the proudest things in my life,” the former Real Madrid player continued. “Every time I wore this distinctive blue shirt, I felt so proud.” In the post, in which he did not explain the reasons for his retirement, he recalls winning the 2018 World Cup in Russia at the expense of Croatia in the final (4-2).
“I will never forget it,” he said in this regard. “I still feel all the feelings I felt that day, July 15, 2018. It was one of the greatest unforgettable moments of my life.”
After France lost on penalties to Argentina in the Qatar World Cup final last December, Varane did not hint at any intention to retire, knowing that he started in all matches except for the first in the group stage when he was in the final stages of recovering from an injury he suffered nearly a month before the World Cup. .
He thanked his coach Didier Deschamps, his teammates and the fans, and said, “I will definitely miss those moments with you, but now it’s time for the new generation to take over. We have a group of talented young players who are ready to take charge, who deserve their chance and who need you.”
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