Varane: Real Madrid does not need a detailed plan to win three consecutive championships. Today s football relies too much on data and tactics.

The "AS" Sports Award will celebrate its 19th edition in 2025. Former Real Madrid and French star Varane accepted an exclusive interview with "AS" as one of the winners. In the interview, he reviewed his career and talked about his plans for the future. The following is the second part of his interview.

Part 1👉Varane: Today’s central defenders are strong and fast, but the art of defense has been somewhat lost

——What do you admire most about Ramos?

——His fighting spirit. He can infect everyone. He is not a talkative person, but leads the team with a competitive spirit. He is like a charging general, the kind of person worth following.

——What’s so special about the Real Madrid team that won three consecutive championships?

——No one talks much because everyone knows what they want to do. They are both top players, mature and have complementary qualities. There is no need for too detailed a plan, because everyone can use football intelligence to judge when to press, when to get closer, and when to keep the ball. Everything flows naturally.

——Enjoy it...

——Benzema will not press for 90 minutes, but as long as he tries to fight, he can succeed and score. He has a great sense of football. The whole team is the same. We suffer and we play and we press... and this lineup has been playing together for many years.

——What did Zidane leave behind?

——He is a leader who is very close to the players, gives you confidence, always protects the team and never blames others. He understands the players very well and is not a shouter, but when he talks you listen. He is calm and always pushes you to do better. He likes to take risks: "Be bold," he said, "I'll take responsibility for your mistakes."

- Are you impressed by Ancelotti?

——He is not a shouter either. He is more worried about whether the players have the confidence to perform.

- Are more modern coaches popular now?

- Today's football relies too much on data, video and tactics, making the game a bit "robotic". But it’s not about whether it’s good or bad. Data should assist the coach, but the most important thing is always the person himself - feeling and intuition. This cannot be lost. There is now too much focus on tactics and physicality, but creativity also needs to be protected.

——Do you remember Xavi as a player?

——It was my first time playing at the Bernabeu and I didn’t have many options when it came to getting the ball. He came up to my feet and picked up the ball, and then the whole team started running. He organizes the game with his quality and long passes. He also directs the press. He shouts and rushes forward, and the strikers follow. He's like a coach on the court.

——Do you like Harvey now?

- The football world has never been patient. His structure, his ideas are clear... He needs time. I like what he is building, with young players but with experience, French, Brazilian...

- Do you like the way this Real Madrid team is playing now?

- Many teams start strong but lack staying power. Real Madrid is taking it step by step. I see changes. They are building long-term structures. This way the coach can last a long time. It's possible to win without structure, but it's difficult to sustain.

——Can Huizen become an era-level central defender?

——I don’t know about this, I’ll see later… But I think the outside world underestimated the difficulty of playing so many games in his first season at the age of 20. This is not easy. Patience is required, players and people go through a digestion phase. I know what it is. I saw my reflection back then. It takes character and personality to do what he does now.

——What about Militan?

- It was difficult when he first came. I said to him: "When you start playing football, you won't lose your position." And I was right. He has speed, confrontation, technique, everything.

- Would you delete a day from your career?

——(Thinking) No, because all experiences count. But if I had to choose, obviously it would be the day I injured my knee.

——Would your career have been different without that injury?

- Yes, definitely. After that I had to change the way I ran, the way I played, the way I took care of myself. I learned so much about body, balance, and posture...

——That was in 2013, when you were just starting out.

- Yeah...I've had to work twice as hard my whole career. My body has to be perfectly balanced to compete at the highest level. If not, you will suffer. I had to build a personal team around me and work with the club to maintain that balance. Without these, I would have retired as early as 2014 or 2015.

- What is the problem?

- I tore my lateral meniscus, which is the most troublesome one. During the surgery, they removed 72% of my lateral meniscus. My body adapted well and started protecting my knees. I couldn't fully extend or flex, which instead protected the joint. But the whole body balance is affected... I could write a book. I have to replace my insoles every six months…it’s so much detail, it’s unimaginable.

- How many people take care of your body?

- At least five people.

- Have you been playing with pain?

——Always.

——Knee pain?

- It could be the knees, the Achilles tendon, the back... but the knees always hurt. It hurts even when I do exercise now. Exercise is good for health, but professional-level exercise is bad for health.

——Do you want to delete the Champions League game against Manchester City (2019–20 season)?

- No, no, that makes me stronger. Later I became more passionate about playing derby at Manchester United (laughs). I don't make excuses, but I want to take this opportunity to talk about an important topic.

——Really?

- I actually had concussion symptoms before that game, and it happened a few weeks ago.

——Please tell me.

——In the previous game against Getafe, I was hit hard in the temple by the ball.. Like so many times, I kept playing and had to be substituted. I was so exhausted a few days after the race that I couldn't recover at all. I thought it would be better to sleep more. But it was actually a concussion, I just didn’t understand the symptoms at the time. There was no testing at the time. My coordination and energy are not good...

- So what did you feel during the game against Manchester City?

——Can’t concentrate, can’t do it at all. I had sluggish senses and poor coordination. For example, I couldn't tell where a high-altitude ball would land, which was my strong point. Nothing could be done that day. I'm also slow with the ball, and I've always been a "one or two" style.

——It’s incredible that it happened so long ago.

- As an athlete, it can be hard to admit that something is wrong with you. But I learned a lot from it. This is not the only time in my career and I know other players have had similar experiences. Since then I have researched concussions and worked with a team of experts in France.

- In England, children are not allowed to header the ball.

- Very reasonable. If you ask an expert, you'd be hard-pressed to understand why these rules are only now starting to change.

- What do you know about this?

——Countless data. Football players are 3.5% more likely to develop degenerative brain diseases. This is a big number. Professional players average between 20,000 and 25,000 headers. I play more as a centre-back. It would be better if the children could have fewer heads. Especially children, whose brains are still developing.

- Do you think this will change?

- There are now very accurate tests. The body balance device I used was also effective in measuring cognitive status. You can tell if there is a concussion by just standing for 30 seconds and looking at tiny movements. In England, they do benchmark testing before the season so they can compare later. And when I left Spain, this was not yet widespread.

- Are there too many games now?

——Definitely. Increasing events may not be a good thing commercially, it may be the opposite. Sometimes less is more. For example, the NFL only has 272 games. There is too much football and too many events. Young people are easily overwhelmed and bored. When I was a kid, I looked forward to the Champions League games, what a look forward to it! But if there are too many games, not only the quality will decrease, but also the sense of specialness will be lost.

——What about the players?

——Mbappe said a while ago that of course he can play a hundred games, but not every game can be 100%. Sometimes players are just trying not to get hurt. I prefer less, but higher quality. Football has a "locomotive". Less than 1% of players participate in the Champions League and national team games, but the whole world only wants to watch them. They play all games. If their bodies collapse, the entire football ecosystem will collapse.

——Speaking of the 1%... Did you have a special feeling when you were on the French team?

- Very special, even more special than now. France has always had good players, but 2010 and 2012 were disasters. I joined in 2012, which was a difficult time. In the first game, we led Georgia 3-0, but when we passed the ball back, the fans actually booed us... even though we were leading 3-0! Everything is tense and negative.

- But you turned the tables.

- The turning point was the play-off against Ukraine. We lost 0-2 away from home. When we returned to the home court, the entire audience stood up and cheered, with goosebumps. We won 3-0.

- What was special about that team in 2018?

- The quality is adequate, but the inner workings are incredible. There are many leaders: Lori, Pogba, Griezmann, Mbappe on the wing, and me... We didn't start the World Cup well, but then we developed a sense of invincibility. We knew no one could stop us, it was an atmosphere of our own making.

——You played 360 games with Real Madrid and won four Champions Leagues. Want to go back?

- Sure, why not? I have a good relationship with the club and live in Madrid... we will see what happens in the future. But my current project makes me very comfortable. The world of business and the world of football are very similar. I actually became the CEO of my own company at 23 because I built a team around me. I also like the concept of "changing the world" and supporting companies that I think are meaningful...

-Why did you choose to end your career in Como?

——Originally I wanted to play football, but I injured my left leg and that leg was used to compensate for other parts of my body, so I decided to retire. But I'm still working in Como. I try to help the club grow. There are very special and innovative projects there. I'm also working with the academy, summer camps... I'm getting to know another side of football and I'm enjoying it. And I have another important direction: foundation.

——Foundation?

- I am involved in three foundations. The first one is the "Varane Training Camp", which is a mixed-gender, free football camp with strong educational nature and a high-level coaching team. I'm currently hosting in the north of France and before that in Martinique (my father's birthplace). It's not tied to a certain club, I want to spread my values: hard work, respect, humility and ambition.

- I get it...

- My projects revolve around who I am. If you see what I do, you'll understand who I am. The second foundation is with the 2018 World Champion teammates, we raise money to help other foundations. On December 1st we release a documentary about mental health. The third foundation is related to French overseas territories, those former colonial areas.