Manchester United star Raphaël Varane has revealed he has unfortunately been suffering from concussion problems for the last decade in a fresh effort to improve protocols around head injuries in world football.
The often-injured Man United and now internationally retired French defender was speaking to sports outlet L’Équipe in an exclusive interview when he detailed that not only has he had to pull out games due to concussion concerns but has played through matches even with head injury symptoms.
Citing instances such as a 2019/20 match for Real Madrid against Man City and fixtures as far back as 2014 when France came up against Brazil in the round of 16, he described his performances as being on “autopilot” and that he was unsure he would have even been able to respond if someone spoke to him.
As for similar experiences since joining United, he described a game earlier this season where he headed the ball multiple times and was feeling “abnormally tired in the following days, as well as having some eye fatigue” before being deemed unfit to play the next match.
🎙️ | Raphaël Varane on concussion protocal in football:
“I know that, personally, I won’t live until 100; I know that I have damaged my body and put myself in danger. By speaking about it, situations can perhaps be better analysed and take decisions based on risks.”
The 30-year-old serial winner explained that although steps have been taken to protect his health down the years, the protocols surrounding potential concussions and injury culture, in general, aren’t quite where they need to be.
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“As footballers playing at the highest level, we are used to pain, we are a bit like soldiers, tough guys, symbols of physical strength, but these symptoms are almost invisible”, says Varane.
“If your leg hurts and you limp, everyone sees it. But with head injuries, it immediately feels weak to say that you are tired, that you have migraines or eye fatigue… So at first, we tell ourselves that it will pass.”
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Varane left the French national team in 2023 to look after his overall fitness and also said he has already advised his seven-year-old son not to head the ball when playing, reiterating that “even if it does not cause immediate trauma, we know that in the long term, repeated shocks are likely to have harmful effects.”
The seasoned centre-back went on to confess that it was only this season that he heard about “The first time I heard about micro-concussions after specialists came in to talk to the United squad about it, adding that most players “don’t understand and we don’t even think about doing a test”.
It was only in December 2022 that football fans were left fuming with the Football Association (FA) themselves for mocking a potentially serious head injury during a cup tie and while things have improved in recent years, it’s clear that there’s still a lot of preventive rework still to be done.
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Fellow footballing legend Alan Shearer has been at the forefront of trying to improve awareness around concussions in football and the links to conditions like CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) as Varane is by no means the first and sadly won’t be the last.
Luxury Manchester gym Blok confirms permanent closure after weeks of uncertainty
Daisy Jackson
Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure, weeks after the doors to the premium fitness facility mysteriously closed.
Around a fortnight ago, members began to arrive to their classes to find the gym on Ducie Street locked up and a forfeiture notice on the door – but at the time, Blok said that it was fighting to reopen.
Sadly, in an email sent to members today, its founder has confirmed that the studio is now permanently closed.
Blok – which has several very successful sites down in London – said that its relationship with its landlord has ‘broken down to a point where trust has been lost’.
The gym wrote that it’s been left with ‘no workable way forward’.
They said: “BLOK Manchester was a space built by our loyal and dedicated community. Whether you joined us for one class or one hundred, we are deeply grateful. You helped create something genuinely special in an incredible city.”
In the immediate future, they said they’ll be supporting the team of fantastic trainers who worked here, as well as looking after members.
Members will be contacted within a few hours with options and refunds owed.
Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure. Credit: The Manc Group
CEO and founder Ed Stanbury said: “While this marks the end of a chapter, we don’t see it as the end of our story in Manchester. We’re already speaking with developers about potential future sites and remain committed to returning to the city when the time is right.
“Thank you for being part of our story so far. Let’s shape the future of wellness. The mission continues.”
Commenting on Blok’s Instagram post – its first in almost a fortnight – people have been sharing their sadness at the closure of its Manchester site.
One person wrote: “beautiful space, beautiful staff and beautiful community.”
Another said: “Sending love to all the instructors !! :(((( gutted”
Someone else commented: “THE BEST CLASSES. I’m gutted.”
Manchester City plotting spending spree ‘before’ Club World Cup
Danny Jones
Manchester City are set to embark on somewhat of a spending spree this summer transfer window as the club’s higher-ups are looking to get business done before the 2025 Club World Cup.
With FIFA’s intercontinental club competition set to get underway in mid-June, the Blues don’t have too long to welcome in new players, but Man City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has reiterated their urgency regarding recruitment.
Despite having brought in four new acquisitions in a very short space of time last season, the 50-year-old argued that he wasn’t completely happy with the extent and speed of their business.
Giving a lengthy interview this week, CFG‘s founding chairman has imposed an internal deadline ahead of the lucrative knockout competition.
Speaking with club media, Khaldoon recognised that while there were incomings in January of this year, he believes they “should have been more aggressive in some of the changes we needed to do, adding that he believes it “cost [them].”
“I can tell you today, we have clearly identified who exactly [the targets are], in what positions, and we have our clear number one option, our clear number two option”, he continues.
More importantly, he goes on to add: “We’ll go about our business, and it will be very clear, very swift. Our objective is to try to be ready with the new squad for the Club World Cup.”
He also suggested the flurry of activity this past January was not just atypical of the administration, but felt the squad fell into a crisis state with the number of injuries, insisting they “had to act.”
City have already been linked with a hugely talented and highly-rated European target in the wake of Kevin De Bruyne‘s departure and a lack of strength in depth in midfield.
An initial bid is said to have been received already and will likely be the first of many City summer signings.
He also insisted that the players who joined last season weren’t scattershot, emergency transfers (perhaps barring the resigning of İlkay Gündoğan) but were the start of the rebuild and “gives [fans] an idea of what’s coming this summer.”
Another player linked with a move to the Etihad Stadium is Lyon star Rayan Cherki, who scored in big moments during their Europa League run this year, registering 32 goal contributions across all competitions throughout the 24/25 campaign.
Who would you like to see added to Pep Guardiola’s side this summer, then, Man City fans?
You can watch Khaldoon Al Mubarak’s interview in full down below:
Danny Jones -
2nd April 2024 
