Raphael Varane has opened up on suffering concussions in multiple football matches and how his body has been “damaged” by heading during fixtures.
The Manchester United defender believes a lack of understanding around head injuries has proved harmful to him and other footballers, while he has called for limited use of heading the ball during training sessions.
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In an interview with L’Equipe, Varane outlined specific incidents of suffering concussions during fixtures for France and Real Madrid, and the impact this had on his performance in subsequent matches.
The 30-year-old said how he suffered a concussion during France’s 2014 World Cup last-16 clash against Nigeria after the football struck his temple, claiming that he played the rest of the match on “autopilot” mode.
“If someone had spoken to me at that time, I don’t even know if I would have been able to respond,” Varane recalled. “I don’t remember the game after this incident.”
He explained how he lost appetite, was dehydrated and lost weight — but these symptoms were not enough to stop him from wanting to play against Germany in the quarter-final.
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Varane said he did not feel at full capacity for the game, which France lost 1-0, but explained he had not spoken publicly about the experience for a decade as he did not want it to “sound like an excuse”.
He added: “What we will never know is what would have happened if I had taken another impact to the head. When you know that repeated concussions have a potentially fatal effect…well, at the time, I wasn’t a family man. But today, I have three children and I think differently.”
Varane described a similar incident six years later, when he was substituted off for Real Madrid in a La Liga match against Getafe after taking a ball to head, and suffering extreme fatigue for several days after.
His next match was against Manchester City in the return leg of a last-16 Champions League tie. The central defender explained after not feeling well in the warm-up, he then “felt like a spectator” during the game. He suffered an off-night, making mistakes in the build-up to two goals in a 2-1 loss.
Varane said he had not been made aware of micro-concussions — incremental head impacts that lead to concussions — until this season, when Manchester United players were advised not to head the ball on more than 10 occasions during training sessions.
However, this caution cannot be replicated in live match situations. Varane acknowledged “saying you feel tired” following repeated head actions can still carry a stigma.
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He added that limiting headers in training is an important step, while also calling for heading not to be used with children. He has a football-playing son, aged seven, whom he advises not to head the ball.
Brain injury charity Headway says that Varane’s comments were “both brave and concerning”.
“We are increasingly seeing players from various sports follow medical advice by retiring early in order to protect their long-term brain health,” said Luke Griggs, chief executive of Headway.
“A sportsperson’s career is short and it’s understandable that they would want to play every minute they can. But equally you’re a long time retired, and there appears to be a growing acceptance of the long-term implications of not looking after one’s brain during a playing career.
“We applaud Raphael for speaking out about the challenges footballers face when trying to balance their careers and long-term health. He is entirely correct about players having to take responsibility by admitting when they don’t feel right following a blow to the head.
“I’m sure there are many other professional players — past and present — that are harbouring similar concerns about their long-term brain health and I hope Raphael’s comments will encourage others to be more open and inquisitive when it comes to emerging research into the risks.”
Manchester United return to action on Thursday with a trip to Chelsea.
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Varane has shown his worth to United but there are no guarantees over what happens next
(Michael Regan/Getty Images)
