Former French international and recent retiree Raphael Varane has offered a scathing assessment of modern football in a revealing interview with L’Equipe. The 31-year-old, who recently ended his brief stint with Como due to injury, shared his insights on the current state of the sport and the challenges faced by players.
Varane didn’t mince words when discussing the football industry: “It’s not correct to say I felt betrayed. The problem is that the entire system is built so that players don’t think and don’t see that they’re being deceived. When you have some experience, you see the game, the strings, and then you have the option to let yourself be deceived, to sign for tranquility.”
The former Real Madrid and Manchester United defender highlighted the complexities of managing a player’s career: “You’re a player and, beyond that, you’re a company to manage, and you’re obligated to delegate. I’ve changed my entourage several times, I’ve had to put up barriers between myself and those close to me and those who wanted to approach me from the outside.”
Varane also expressed concerns about player development and support: “In training centers, they don’t teach you how to change your social status, how to manage your life changes with your entourage. I’ve seen so many careers that never took off and families that imploded.”
Regarding the evolution of playing styles, Varane lamented the loss of creativity: “Today’s football has less creativity; there are no more geniuses on the field. There’s more and more space for players with great physiques and less for those who create imbalances, there’s more consideration for those who are at the same level at the expense of those who take on one-on-ones on the wings.”
He criticized the increasing rigidity in tactical approaches: “Everything is robotized, there are game schemes that make it difficult to create surprise. There’s much less freedom. Ancelotti is one of those coaches who gives you some, those of the new generation less so. Football should remain a game of errors, and today there are fewer.”
