By Le Figaro
Published 42 minutes ago, Updated now
The French defender, victim of concussions during the match. Cody Froggatt/News Images / News Images / Panoramic
The 2018 world champion confided, during an interview with L’Équipe, to having suffered concussions. He calls for better care and greater prevention.
“I damaged my body”confided Raphael Varane in an interview for our colleagues at The Team. The young retired French international (93 caps) revealed that he suffered concussions on several occasions during the match. Notably, in the round of 16 of the 2014 World Cup against Nigeria, won by France (2-0).
The central defender admitted to having no memories of this match: “I don’t remember the match after this shock”. The shock in question: a ball received in the temple at the start of the second half. At the end of the match, the player still did not feel normal and therefore followed a protocol to get back on his feet as quickly as possible before the quarter-final against Germany.
“Then I try to follow a recovery protocol to eat well and rest. I was not in my normal state and so I was taken care of. I had lost weight because I was dehydrated, I was out of shape.he adds.
“When you look at three of the worst matches of my career, there are at least two before which I had a concussion a few days earlier», Reveals Raphaël Varane in this interview, evoking this quarter-final of the 2014 World Cup with France (1-0 defeat against Germany) and a round of 16 second leg of the Champions League in 2020 with Real Madrid (defeat 2 -1 against Manchester City).
I wasn’t going to miss a World Cup quarter-final because I was a little tired.
Raphaël Varane
The call has better support
Sensitive part and often used by players, the head can quickly spin. In the event of too violent air shocks, it can cause dizziness and concussions. The 30-year-old therefore calls for better prevention as well as more serious treatment: “ “It could go very wrong”. He also advises limiting the number of heads in training to reduce risks. These can be fatal.
In England, 10 former professional players and the families of seven others who have died are suing several British football governing bodies, accusing them of “always been perfectly conscious” of the risks of concussions and brain injuries to which the players were exposed, without having taken the necessary measures.
