Manchester United defender Raphael Varane has announced his decision to retire from the France national team.
“Representing our beautiful country for a decade has been one of the greatest honors of my life,” Varan explained in a statement. “Every time I wore that special blue jersey I felt an immense sense of pride, the duty to give everything, to play with my heart, and to win every time we took the field.”
Varane stated further that he has been contemplating his retirement from international football for several months already and that he feels that it is the right time to step down from the France squad.
Having lost the 2022 Qatar World Cup final, Varan won the previous World Cup with France in Russia. The center-back started in every match during France’s successful 2018 campaign, however, this success was followed by a disappointing Euro 2020 campaign, ending with a round of 16 loss to Switzerland on penalties.
Varane’s decision to retire comes days after France goalkeeper and captain, Hugo Lloris, announced his decision to retire from international soccer. Like Varane, Lloris was also a member of France’s 2018 and 2022 world cup squads.
