Face to face Raphael Varane interview
The France and Real Madrid defender looks ahead to this summer’s European Championship
It has been a mixed season for Real Madrid, although you have been one of the regular starters. How do you feel 2020-21 has gone so far? Consistency is the key to success at the very highest level and we need to find more. There have been games where we have played close to our highest level but we need to do that on a more consistent basis. If we do that then we can have a successful season. I am confident but it is important that we just take things game by game. By focusing on the next game and being as best prepared as you can – that is how you win titles.
The season will end with the European Championship – how excited are you about playing in the Euros with France? I have already had the taste of success with France and I want more. It is not arrogant to be ambitious and I know we can win it. It will be hard – when you are world champions I think there is motivation on other nations to beat you. We are ready, though – we will be prepared.
Is there a greater sense of anticipation after last year’s postponement?
Yes, maybe. There was nothing anybody could do about the postponement and it was the right decision at the time, but the players are ready and I am sure that the supporters are as well.
Are you disappointed that France won’t be hosting any matches?
Decisions like that are not made by us; they are out of our hands. To play in France would have been nice but we aren’t and we just have to get on and play in the cities that have been chosen for us.
It has been over two years since France’s World Cup victory – does it feel a lifetime ago or is it still fresh in your mind?
It doesn’t feel a lifetime ago but at the same time I don’t want to think so much about it. When I am retired I can think back about winning the World Cup and tell stories. After the World Cup win the aim was to try to dominate international football so we are only looking forward.
What is the spirit like in the squad? Yes, there is confidence – not arrogance but confidence. Like I say, when you are world champions there is a motivation for other teams to beat you, but we just have to accept that is something that comes along with being world champions. We will just be concentrating on each game in the tournament one at a time – and when we are in the final we can think about winning it.
How has the squad evolved since that World Cup tournament? Is it even better now than it was two years ago?
It is a young team so we are always evolving. We still have the same mental strength but the truth is we play a totally different way to the team that won the World Cup. We play higher up the field now but we have kept the key qualities and have the right mindset.
You are France’s most experienced defender, with over 70 international caps. Do you feel extra responsibility to lead the other defenders?
The coach has given me extra responsibility, and responsibility is something I am used to. I want to give the whole squad – not just the defenders – my experience, my peace of mind, and to be myself, and for them to know I am somebody that they can come and talk to.
France have incredible depth at centreback. Does that competition for places motivate you? Do you feel confident of starting at the Euros?
Starting at the European Championship is where I want to be – where I have to be. We do have some very talented defenders, but I am confident that my ability and experience will be enough for me to start.
France have been drawn in probably the toughest group – how do you feel about playing Germany and Portugal? Germany and Portugal are two nations that you expect to face in the semi-final or the final. We are not going to lose our heads and will be taking the tournament one game at a time – and will be preparing for the Hungary game just as diligently as we will for the games against Germany and Portugal.
What other nations concern you going into the tournament?
Two of them are in our group – but there are many other quality teams. Our focus is being as best prepared as we can be. If we are playing at our highest level we know we can beat anybody so it makes more sense to focus on ourselves.
France coach Didier Deschamps handed you your international debut – what is your relationship like with him?
He is great to work with. He has so much knowledge – not only did he give me my debut but, as I said, he has also given me more responsibility with the team. I want to continue to repay him for all the faith he has shown in me.
Deschamps was captain when France went to Euro 2000 as world champions, then became European champions too. How important is his experience to the group? To have a coach who is not only a good coach but also has done everything as a player is a big thing. I have that for Real Madrid and for France. They have both won everything as players – they know what it takes.
Do you ever speak with your club coach Zinedine Zidane about his playing days and the success that he achieved?
To speak with Zidane is something special. He is so calm and he has so much faith in himself. He had faith in himself as a player and now he has faith in himself as a coach, and you can see that faith has paid off as he has had so much success in both. He has a different way of seeing football, of seeing the game; he is very special.
Growing up I didn’t really have an idol as such, because my father told me that if I simply concentrated on my own game then everything else would follow. But Zidane was such a special player for us though, who achieved so much – it would have been special to play with him at his peak.
Let’s talk about some of your France team-mates – first, Kylian Mbappe: what is he like to play with? How important is he to France’s chances?
He is very important – he can be the best player in the world, we can all see that. He is still so young and there is more he can learn and even higher levels he can achieve. Even games when he is quiet he can always be a threat when you need something special.
Paul Pogba’s future has been continually debated. Can you explain his role in the French team?
He is a midfield player that can adapt. He can be creative and find special passes, but physically he can dominate a game if that is what it calls for. I always have confidence when he is on the field – he is somebody you want on your team.
Both Pogba and Mbappe have been linked with Real Madrid – have you spoken with them about signing? Would you like them to join you in Spain?
I have had so much success at Real Madrid and I only have positive things to say about my time here. It is a club where I have won four Champions League titles, so of course I only have good things to say about my time here and if people ask me I will tell them that. They are both two of the best players in the world, but where their next moves are is their decision.
Tell us about your captain, Hugo Lloris – what is he like to play with, both as a leader and as a goalkeeper?
He is one of our key players. He is a champion. Some of the saves that he can make are so important for us – they are saves that very few goalkeepers in the world can make. He has a lot of character and we see him as a leader.
As a defender you always want to have trust in your goalkeeper and, of course, you have confidence in a player with the quality of Hugo. He has the confidence and experience to organise the defenders and if he is not happy with you he will let you know. Olivier Giroud is the country’s secondhighest goalscorer of all time. Does it surprise you that he is so consistent for the national team? Do you think he can catch Thierry Henry’s record?
For me there is no surprise because I see how hard he trains. Even when he was not getting as much playing time he was working so hard on his game and on his fitness in training, he is just hungry. He works for the team so I am not sure he is even thinking about individual records but I am sure there are more international goals there for him.
“Germany and Portugal are two nations that you expect to face in the semi-final or the final”