‘He constantly fought against his body’ – Hugo Lloris on Raphaël Varane’s determination | OneFootball

In an exclusive interview with L’Équipe, Hugo Lloris has paid tribute to his former France teammate Raphaël Varane following the defender’s decision to announce his retirement on the 25th of September 2024.

The two worked closely together with Lloris being the captain and Varane his vice for a Les Bleus side that won the 2018 World Cup against Croatia and reached the final of the 2022 edition which they lost to Argentina on penalties.

The game against Argentina would prove to be Varane’s last for the national team, with the centre-back retiring from international duty a few months later in February 2023. Varane had hoped the decision to step back from France would help prolong his club career, but the injuries that had plagued his recent seasons would continue.

Varane would suffer a knee injury in his debut for Como 1907 in August of this year which would rule him out for months. The defender had been left out of the club’s squad list for the season, and he eventually called time on his illustrious playing career.

Lloris praised his former teammate’s dedication despite the recurrent destabilising injury problems the defender faced, “When he was on the pitch we didn’t lose very often. He had this reassuring aspect, and besides what we showed on the pitch, there was everything we saw behind the scenes.”

“We saw him fight against his physique and follow his bodybuilding and injury prevention programmes, which took a lot of time, energy, and effort,” Lloris continued. “He constantly fought against his body. He pushed the machine to its capacity, and it’s remarkable. He constantly pushed his limits.”

GFFN | Nick Hartland