“Dean Huijsen? I can see myself in him; you need character and personality”

Following his retirement, Raphael Varane reflected on his football career in a recent interview with ‘AS’. He talked about a lot of Real Madrid-related subjects, including his tenure there and the present situation at the Bernabeu. Wearing the ‘Merengue’ jersey allowed him to grow, mature, and shine at his best.

“There wasn’t much talk because everyone knew what they had to do,” Varane said, describing how Real Madrid cultivates that winning attitude. Each of them had complimentary skills and was a great player in their peak. Each player had the footballing knowledge to know when to close ranks, when to press, and when to keep possession, therefore a comprehensive plan was unnecessary. Everything went smoothly. “Benzema won the ball back and scored when he did press, but he didn’t do so for ninety minutes. He is a keen observer of the game. And the entire crew was affected by that. We were skilled at playing, pressing, and suffering. The Frenchman admitted that the team had played together for a considerable amount of time.

One person who had a big influence on his career was Zinedine Zidane: “He was a leader who was very close to the players, gave a lot of confidence, and always protected the team.” He never placed the blame elsewhere. Well, he had a thorough understanding of the players. You paid attention to what he had to say, even if he didn’t shout much. He was a composed boss who always encouraged you to do more. He enjoyed taking chances. “Take more chances.” He would say, “If you fail, it’s my fault.”

Is Huijsen a potential center-back for the Markan era? “I’m not sure, we’ll see. However, it is not enough acknowledged that he is playing so many games in his first season at the age of just 20. That is really amazing. And we must exercise patience, as I mentioned. As a player and a person, it takes time to comprehend what’s going on with him. I recognize myself in him; I understand what that’s like. But you need personality and character to do what he’s doing,” he said.

In some capacity, he does not exclude out rejoining Real Madrid: “Yes, of course, why not. I live here, and I get along well with the club. We’ll have to wait and see what occurs. To be honest, I feel really at ease working on my projects. There are many similarities between the business and football worlds. And since I built a network around myself, I actually became the CEO of my own business at the age of 23. I also think it’s a great idea to support businesses that make sense to me and change the world.