France defender Varane retires from international duty

Raphael Varane on Thursday announced his retirement from international football.

The defender won the World Cup with France in 2018 and came runner-up at the latest tournament in Qatar last year.

“The time has come for a new generation to take over,” the 29-year-old Manchester United player said in an Instagram post.

“Representing our amazing country for a decade has been one of the biggest honors of my life. Every time I wore the special blue jersey, I felt immense pride,” he added.

Varane secured 93 caps for France in his international career.

The former Real Madrid player made his international debut on March 22, 2013 in a duel against Georgia.

Born in 1993, Varane rose to international prominence in 2011 when he joined Real Madrid at just 18 on the advice of Zinedine Zidane, who at the time was an advisor to club president Florentino Perez.

During his time with the Spanish giants, he lifted four Champions League titles and won the Spanish league three times.

At the end of 2021, he announced he was leaving Madrid to sign for Manchester United.