Raphael
Varane earned the admiration of all European football in his first year in the
elite when he was just 18 years old. His impressive height allows him to
dominate the aerial game; his versatility makes him a solid defender or central
midfielder; and his speed, sense of anticipation, dribbling skills and maturity
turned him into one of the most important players on his previous side.
Varane
was formed at the academy of Lens, one of the most prolific in France in recent
years. Hailing by family from Martinique (his father was born in Le
Morne-Rouge), the defender played 23 league games with Lens in the 2010/11
season, 22 of them as a starter. Varane made his debut with a 2-0 victory over
Montpellier on 6 November 2010. Three weeks later, he earned a starting
position under coach Jean-Guy Wallemme and kept it when Laszlo Boloni replaced
him.
Raphael
Varane made his international debut with France's Under-18s against Denmark,
scoring the last goal in a 24 August friendly (2-0). After a second match with
the team he was promoted to the Under-21 side.
Personal
Varane
started playing football at a football academy in Lievin, which trains
players from the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region. He stayed there two years.
His
second match with France's Under-21 side saw him play against Madridistas
Sergio Canales, Nacho Fernandez and Juan Carlos. France won the match 3-2 at
Reims' Auguste-Delaune Stadium.
Honours
La
Liga: 2011/12
Career
·
Lens
(2010/11)
·
Real
Madrid (2011- )
·
First
Division debut: 06/11/2010
Match: Lens 2-0 Montpellier
