A biography for Raphael Varanehasn’t been written yet.
“Being a defender of Real Madrid means being able to make very few mistakes.”
“I feel more comfortable with fast players because I try to control the depth. For my qualities, it's what I prefer.”
“Having the ball means creating chances and scoring goals.”
“It's impressive to be compared with Hierro.”
“It's not a fault in football to be ambitious, far from it.”
“Our objective is to win - always to win.”
“I see football as a team sport, I'm not looking for the spotlight.”
“What is important is to communicate a lot. That's how we manage to create a good understanding.”
“It takes a great strength of character to arrive at Real at eighteen years and make a journey like I have so far.”
“Since I was seven years old, they say 'he's nice, he's nice.' Yes, I'm nice, but that's not all I am.”
“When you're young you want to show what you can do, but sometimes you have to learn not to over-complicate things.”
“When they are stronger I try to pass in front, that I cannot play. Like Lukaku, for example. He is the strongest forward in the world. He is pure power.”
“I hope to meet expectations. To achieve this, I need to keep working hard and hopefully things will go my way.”
“Sergio Ramos has a winning mentality and has great experience.”
“I had a special relationship with Mourinho.”
“When you are at Real, it's a challenge every day. I'm like that, I need these high goals to keep moving forward.”
“I try to give the squad my peace of mind, my experience of big competitions and to be myself.”
“Don't call me an intellectual. After all, there are a lot more people taking their A-levels each summer than signing for Real Madrid. I was just a good and serious student.”
“You will rarely see a defender in front of the opponent's goal.”
“It would be wonderful to spend my whole career at Madrid. But my early days taught me to enjoy every moment because everything can change very quickly - I saw that with Euro 2016.”