Manchester United defender Raphael Varane He addressed the impact of his exposure to multiple concussions during his career on his life, noting that it “caused damage to his body.”
Varane, 30, French outlet L’Equipe said He has played several matches for both club and country while dealing with the effects of head injuries, and wants to raise awareness about what he sees as an under-represented problem in modern football.
The former France international, who retired from international football in February 2023, said he suffered a concussion during his country’s 2014 World Cup Round of 16 match against Nigeria, adding that he finished the match on “autopilot” and that “if someone had spoken to me at that time, “I don’t know if I’ll be able to respond.”
Varane said he also played with symptoms of a head injury for Real Madrid against Manchester City in the Champions League in the 2019-20 season affected by Covid-19. He said he left the field against Getafe in a La Liga match five days ago and felt “really tired” between matches, but he attributed that to the usual end-of-season fatigue until he arrived in the warm-up phase for the European match and felt so tired he “almost slapped himself.”
The issue continues to affect Varane and has forced him out of matches this season with Manchester United, particularly regarding small concussions caused by headers.
“First time I hear about it [micro-concussions] “This was the season when specialists came to talk to us about this topic… Often times, as players, we don’t understand and don’t even think about taking a test,” he said.
“Earlier this season, I headed the ball repeatedly during a Manchester United match and felt abnormally tired in the following days, as well as some eye fatigue.
“I informed the technical staff, who strongly recommended that I not play, and I underwent a test, which meant I missed the next match.”
Varane added that the culture of men’s football contributes to the lack of talk about head injuries.
“As footballers playing at the highest level, we are used to pain, we are a bit like soldiers, strong men, symbols of physical strength, but these symptoms are almost invisible.
“If your leg hurts and you’re limping, everyone sees that. But with head injuries, it immediately sounds weak when you say you’re tired, or you have a migraine or eye strain…so in the beginning, we tell ourselves it’ll be over.”
Varane said he believes changes must be made to ensure players are not overly exposed to head trauma from an early age onwards.
“My 7-year-old son plays soccer, and I advise him not to head the ball.
“Even if it doesn’t cause immediate trauma, we know that in the long term, repeated trauma is likely to have harmful effects. I don’t know if I’ll live to be 100, but I know I’ve done damage to my body.”
Repeated concussions can injure the brain and lead to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a debilitating brain disease that can cause a range of negative symptoms as it becomes more advanced. The protocol established by the English Football Association states that if a player is suspected of suffering a concussion, he must be immediately removed from the field, whether during training or during the match.
Last month, football’s regulators, the International Football Association Board, issued… Approved for the use of permanent concussion replacements Following repeated calls to do so from governing bodies and regulators, including the Premier League.
