"Varane was always a leader, I wish him happiness"

France coach Didier Deschamps thanked Raphael Varane for his services to the national team and stressed that he "very quickly established himself as a leader, on and off the pitch", particularly at the 2018 World Cup, which he won, and at the 2022 World Cup, where he reached the final.

"He arrived very young and immediately imposed himself as a leader on the pitch, but also off it, where his opinion was always listened to and respected," said Deschamps, who praised the “speed, vision, technique and mentality” of the player, who ends his career at the age of 31 blighted by injuries.

Varane made 93 appearances for Les Bleus, with whom he ended his international career after the 2022 World Cup. The coach, who said the defender would always have the team's doors open to him, said he would remember him "as a player who was interested in others and in the team".

Deschamps also pointed to the complicity he always maintained with captain Hugo Lloris, with whom he played an important role in the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

"In the national team and everywhere he went, he left the memory of a great professional. For that and the rest, we have to thank him. I wish him happiness in the new challenges he will choose. He will be able to devote himself to his family, who count a lot for him," he added.