Ex-Man Utd, Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane retires from football
Rather than continuing to battle for fitness, Varane has chosen to step away from the game, penning an emotional farewell letter to his supporters.
If recent reports are to be believed, former Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho was looking to sign in Real Madrid star Raphael Varane as his first signing for the club in 2016.
However, as it turned out, Real Madrid refused the offer for Raphael Varane and Mourinho was forced to sign other players like Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof. Both these players had a forgettable season and failed to have their presence felt in the season.
Mourinho had taken charge of Manchester United in 2016 and was aiming at the Premier League title and nothing else. Despite drafting in players like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Paul Pogba and Henrikh Mkhitaryan in 2016, Mourinho needed a central defender in their side and was desperate to sign Raphael Varane.
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As per reports published in Mirror, Mourinho was eager to bring Varane in his side but it was Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane who somehow convinced Varane to remain at Real Madrid.
As far as Raphael is concerned, the deal worked for him as he went on to win the Champions League with Real Madrid in 2017 and 2018. He even went on to become one of the finest defenders in World football. Meanwhile, things went on to become worse for Manchester United and after a horror 2018-19 season, Mourinho was sacked and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer replaced him.
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