Raphael Varane reveals fears over long-term health after concussions: ‘I have damaged my body’
The Manchester United defender has advised his son not to head the ball
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Raphael Varane has revealed that he fears for his long-term health due to the suspected concussions he has suffered during his career.
In an interview with L’Equipe, the Manchester United defender admitted to playing on several occasions with symptoms of a brain injury.
The 30-year-old recalled suffering what he believed to be concussions ahead of both France’s 2014 World Cup quarter-final against Germany and a Champions League encounter with Manchester City while at Real Madrid in 2020.
The centre back announced a surprise retirement from international football last year and has been a vocal critic of the sport’s congested calendar.
Varane believes players should be more open if they are suffering concussion symptoms.
“As footballers playing at the highest level, we are used to pain, we are a bit like soldiers, tough guys, symbols of physical strength, but these symptoms are almost invisible,” the defender said.
“If your leg hurts and you limp, everyone sees it. But with head injuries, it immediately feels weak to say that you are tired, that you have migraines or eye fatigue ... So at first, we tell ourselves that it will pass.
“Even if it does not cause immediate trauma, we know that in the long term, repeated shocks are likely to have harmful effects. I don’t know if I will live to be 100, but I know that I have damaged my body.”
Varane has advised his seven-year-old son not to head the ball when playing football, and has been forced to miss Manchester United games this season due to so-called “micro concussions” suffered when heading the ball repeatedly.
“The first time I heard about [micro-concussions] was this season when specialists came in to talk to us about it ... Often, as a player, we don’t understand and we don’t even think about doing a test,” he said.
“Earlier this season, I headed the ball repeatedly during a match for Man United and felt abnormally tired in the following days, as well as having some eye fatigue.
“I reported it to the staff, who strongly recommended that I don’t play, and I took a test, which meant that I missed the next match.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments