Three weeks have passed since Raphaël Varane announced his decision to retire from football. The former World Cup winner with France had struggled with injuries throughout the last few seasons and a serious knee injury in his debut game with Como 1907 after moving this summer from Manchester United had represented a bridge too far for the centre-back.
Varane would be out for a significant portion of the season and Como had responded by removing the defender from their squad list for the Serie A campaign. The writing was on the wall for the 31-year-old and the recently promoted Italian side would be the final footnote in the Frenchman’s storied career. However, as Varane revealed in an exclusive interview with L’Équipe it was an unexpected resting place for the defender.
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“At the start of my last season at Manchester United, I was already telling myself that I would have liked to finish there, to extend the adventure [there] a little further,” Varane stated. “It didn’t happen and the summer was very eventful. I was looking for something special, and that’s how I found Como. With United, I finished with a victory in the FA Cup, but I already knew that the club’s project didn’t suit me.”
“Como was a project that stood out, it wasn’t exotic nor financially [rewarding] but humanly it made sense, and it still does, since I’m going to stay by their side,” the defender continued. “I also wanted to play only once a week. After the preseason, the family was supposed to follow me to Italy, but when I got injured on the 11th of July, I knew right away that it was over. I was sure of myself, because I had anticipated it.”
Varane had already been winding down his career and in February 2023 the defender had decided to retire from international duty.
