Raphael Varane was a key piece for France in their amazing run to win the 2018 World Cup in Russia and, four years later, reach the final in Qatar which they lost against Lionel Messi and Argentina.
The defender is 31-years old with a sensational stint of almost a decade conquering all with Real Madrid. However, when he was transferred in 2021 to Manchester United, the downfall began.
Now, thousands of fans were expecting to see Varane help Kylian Mbappe and the French squad to hoist their first European Cup in 24 years. However, that won’t happen.
Why is Raphael Varane not playing the UEFA Euro 2024 with France?
Raphael Varane is out of the UEFA Euro 2024 because the defender already announced his retirement from the national team. On February of 2023, the defender shocked France confirming his intentions in an emotional Instagram post and a historic interview with Le Parisien.
“If we had won the World Cup, I would have announced it immediately afterward. This is the most important decision of my career. I live life to the fullest. Mentally, sometimes I can even focus. Sometimes, when I’m with my family, whom I left at the age of 13, I can’t disconnect. I’m there, but not really there. I needed to breathe. I was suffocating. The hardest moment was calling the coach.”
see also
UEFA Euro 2024: Why is it celebrated every four years?
