Varane: "I don't want to speak about my future"
The Real Madrid defender refused to be drawn into talk about his future in an interview with Le Parisien amid reports he is considering a Bernabéu exit.
The future of Raphael Varane is seemingly up in the air following a report by L’Equipe that claims the Real Madrid defender is considering leaving the club in search of a new challenge.
Following the report earlier this week, Varane has given an interview to Le Parisien in which he refused to be drawn into discussion on any decision he has made about his future.
“I don’t feel like talking about my future. I’m not one to speak publically about my future,” said the French international ahead of France’s Euro 2020 qualifiers against Moldova and Iceland.
Earlier this week AS journalist Tomás Roncero reported that Varane has been unhappy with Real Madrid over the club's failure to pay tribute to his World Cup win – as Barcelona and Atlético did with their French internationals. This could be among the reasons why he is considering leaving the Bernabéu after eight seasons, as L’Equipe has claimed.
While Varane did refuse to discuss his future, he was more open to speaking about the return of Zinedeine Zidane, what he has learned from the French coach, and the "freak" Kylian Mbappé.
Varane’s Le Parisien Interview
Zidane’s return to Madrid: “Nine months is a short time. It's as if he left yesterday. I really appreciate him as a man and coach. He was very important to me. It's funny, because I had the same doubts he had before his coaching debut in January 2016 and about my performance before the World Cup. He managed to silence the critics in a very beautiful way and showed his ability to lead the biggest club in the world.”
His personality and what Zidane has taught him: "I try to transmit calmness and motivation to my team mates. It would be against my nature if I shouted or banged the walls. Some make a lot of noise for nothing and don’t serve as an example. When I speak, they listen to me. I do very well. This is something I learned from Zizou. I was able to observe his way of going about things. He inspires deep respect in a dressing room like Real's without having to raise his voice.”
Kylian Mbappé: “He has something special. When he gets the ball, the crowd stand up and expect him to score a goal… I've come across some ‘freaks’ in my career. This is the first time I’ve met someone so talented and so young. I am impressed by his intelligence, his maturity and his monstrous talent.”