Bolstering their defensive department, Manchester United recently confirmed the signing of French centre-back Raphael Varane from Real Madrid.

Varane has been a mainstay of the backline of the Spanish giants for around five-six years now. 

Born in Lille, France, Varane‘s footballing prowess was clearly evident from a very early age. When he was nine years old, he joined his first professional club RC Lens. Quickly rising through the ranks at the club, he was promoted to the first team in 2010 at the age of 17 and he even went on to captain the club, later that year.

Along with his defensive skills, Varane also showed great leadership qualities, which attracted many European giants. Soon in 2011, Real Madrid and manager Jose Mourinho came looking for Varane’s signature. He signed for the Los Blancos on June 27 on a six-year deal. 

With Pepe and Sergio Ramos spearheading the Real Madrid backline, Varane didn’t immediately break into the first team. However, his talent was on display whenever he donned the All White jersey. 

But Varane truly made himself a fan-favourite at the Santiago Bernabeu during El Clasico against Barcelona in the 2012-13 Spanish Cup. In the match, not only did he score an equalising header for Real Madrid, but he also made an invaluable goal-line clearance off a shot from Xavi. 

He became the second-youngest foreign player to score for Real Madrid in a Clásico match, with Mourinho heaving praises on the young man.

Following the arrival of Zinedine Zidane as the manager of the club and the decline in form of Pepe, Varane became a mainstay of the Los Blancos backline and formed a lethal partnership with Sergio Ramos.

In his 10 year stay at Los Blancos, Varane won 18 titles: 4 Champions League, 4 Club World Cups, 3 UEFA Super Cups, 3 La Liga titles, 1 Copa del Rey and 3 Spanish Super Cups.

And in 2018, he reached the pinnacle of his career, when he won the Champions League and a few months later, won the FIFA World Cup. 

Although since the last few seasons, Varane performance hasn’t been at the highest level, on his day he is still one of the finest centre-backs on the planet.