Manchester United defender Raphaël Varane has discussed the lasting impact of experiencing multiple concussions throughout his football career.
The 30-year-old revealed in an interview with L’Equipe that these head injuries have taken a toll on his body.
Varane disclosed that he played numerous matches for both his club and national team while coping with the repercussions of these head injuries.
One notable incident Varane mentioned was during the 2014 World Cup round-of-16 match against Nigeria, where he sustained a concussion.
Despite the injury, he continued playing but admitted to being on “autopilot” and unsure if he could have responded to anyone speaking to him during the game.
Varane also mentioned playing with head injury symptoms for Real Madrid against Manchester City in the COVID-19-affected 2019-20 season.
He recalled feeling intensely tired after a LaLiga game against Getafe, which led to his substitution, but initially attributed it to typical end-of-season fatigue.
However, during the warmup for the European game, he felt so fatigued that he “almost wanted to slap himself.
