Raphael Varane has the world at his feet  with France and Real Madrid

• Varane is best young defender on the planet, according to Jose Mourinho
• Rio Ferdinand believes he is the man to replace him at Manchester United
• Has also been compared with legendary France defender Laurent Blanc
• Made three starts under Didier Deschamps so far at the World Cup
  

By Sam Cunningham for the Daily Mail

Published: 09:08 EDT, 3 July 2014 | Updated: 11:10 EDT, 3 July 2014

He is known as Mr Clean, has been compared to France legend Laurent Blanc and Jose Mourinho believes he is the best young defender on the planet. Rio Ferdinand also suggests he is the man who should replace him at Manchester United.

Real Madrid centre-back Raphael Varane, 21, has the world at his feet and, still in Brazil with France, has the World Cup in his sights.

Chelsea manager Mourinho adores him. The Portuguese left no stone unturned to make sure he became a Real Madrid player when he was in charge at the Spanish club.

VIDEO Scroll down to watch Varane falling victim to Ronaldo's skill in Real Madrid training

World at his feet: Raphael Varane is one of the best young defenders in the world

Battler: Varane challenges for the ball with Emmanuel Emenike during their last-16 World cup game against Nigeria

Varane was a Lens academy player from age nine, having already spent two years at France’s prestigious Football Training Centre in Liévin, and by the time he was 17 captained the first team. But Mourinho was already in pursuit.

Who better to convince a French teenager to join your club than Zinedine Zidane? Mourinho set the retired midfield genius, an advisor to Madrid president Florentino Perez, on the scent and the pair met on numerous occasions.

‘I played an active role in the transfer,’ Zidane said. ‘He is a quality player and has an incredible future ahead of him.’

Varane was flown over to Spain and invited to visit Madrid’s facilities. Mourinho also met with the player, to further enforce their desire to bring him to the club.

‘The fact that he saw Jose Mourinho was very important,’ Zidane added. ‘This is the most important part because he is the coach who will lead the team. They met and essentially that’s it.

‘He is a very promising player and was an obvious target for a club such as Real Madrid seeking talent.

‘Varane has a great future. The fact many top clubs wanted him is an indication he has talent.

‘He is a player I like very much and in many ways resembles Laurent Blanc. I haven’t seen many players like that. I have watched plenty of Varane and he is like Blanc; fast, intelligent and he is a big player.’

Honour: He has been compared in many ways with French defensive legend Laurent Blanc

Duo: Jose Mourinho and Zinedine Zidane worked hard to bring the youngster to the club

Zidane would know, he lifted the World Cup alongside his countryman in 1998.

After Varane’s first full season in Lens’ senior squad, where he made 23 appearances but could not stop them getting relegated from Ligue 1, Mourinho finally pounced.

In June 2011, Varane, still only 18, passed a medical at the Sanitas Hospital La Moral and signed a six-year deal, moving for a fee understood to be in the region of £8million.

The French club were disappointed to lose their star youngster but President Gervais Martel admitted they could not stand in the way of such a move.

Varane and Mourinho hit it off straight away. In his first season they won the La Liga title together. He scored his first goal against Rayo Vallecano in only his second game; an audacious, sublime back-heel volley from a Mesut Ozil corner making him the youngest foreign player, at 18 years and 152 days, to score a goal in a competitive match for Real.

The following season, when he scored in the Copa del Rey semi-final against Barcelona he ran to the touchline and leapt into Mourinho’s arms.

Embrace: Varane and Mourinho had an incredibly close relationship at Real Madrid

Tangle: Varane gets involved in a Champions League Final scuffle between Diego Simeone and Marcelo

Their bond transcends the boundaries of football. ‘Jose Mourinho is like a second father to me,’ Varane said while Mourinho was still at Madrid.

‘In football terms, he has significant input. He shows his support and his faith in me. He finds the right words to give you the peace of mind to be able to improve, which is important. We often talk. He’s really close to his players.’

Last season, under Carlo Ancelloti, Varane added the Champions League and Copa del Rey to his trophy cabinet.

His height and leap make him formidable in the air, but he is known for his composure on the ball and his adept reading of the game, similar to Ferdinand in his pomp.

It is that approach to football – rather than an aggressive, tough tackler – where his alternative title is derived. ‘I really like my nickname: Mr Clean,’ Varane added. ‘That’s my style.’

VIDEO Varane reveals Deschamps secret