![[File Image] : France's Raphael Varane and Karim Benzema during training](https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/FQ23KFBXQNO4PO6BB2EZGPGOK4-750x423.jpg)
France defender Raphael Varane is retiring from international football, ending a 10 year career with Les Bleus in which he won the World Cup in 2018 and was a runners-up four years later.
The 29 year old has 93 caps after making his debut in 2013 and also helped Didier Deschamps’s side win the UEFA Nations League in the 2020/21 season.
“I’ve been thinking about it for several months and I decided that it was the right time for me to retire from international football,” he said.
The Manchester United defender helped France reach a second straight World Cup final in Qatar last year where they were beaten by Argentina on penalties. Varane’s decision comes just weeks after France’s World Cup-winning goalkeeper and captain, Hugo Lloris, announced his retirement from international football aged 36.
The defender added that it was time for a talented group of young players to take on the mantle. ”
France coach Deschamps said “Raphael believes he has reached the end of his adventure with the French team. I’ve been in a similar situation to him, I understand his arguments and respect his decision. As our paths separate, I wanted to salute his honesty, his unfailing commitment to the blue jersey. Raphael has played a central role on and off the field for the past decade.”
