Raphael Varane recently stirred the football community with a seemingly small statement that deeply touched the emotions of two groups of fans in completely opposite ways.
During a conversation on The Bridge Show (January 27), Varane admitted his surprise at the feelings he experienced winning titles with both Real Madrid and Manchester United. Although he reached the European summit four times with Real Madrid, his victories at Manchester United sparked a greater emotional explosion for Varane.
He shared: "I celebrated winning the Carabao Cup or FA Cup even more than the Champions League. It’s truly crazy! In England, especially in Manchester, you really feel football passion in every breath. You live with it every day".
This confession might surprise Real Madrid fans because at the Bernabeu, the Champions League is almost a mandatory benchmark for every generation. Varane also explained that at Real Madrid, victories sometimes become routine, so the emotions don’t explode like before.
He cited his memory from 2018 as an example. After Real Madrid won the Champions League, the team barely celebrated much. “It felt like it was just one step on the journey toward the next trophy,” Varane recalled. For a club so accustomed to standing at the top of Europe, emotions can sometimes be “worn down” by huge expectations and a continuous winning rhythm.
At Old Trafford, however, it’s the opposite. Varane believes that every domestic trophy at Manchester United holds special meaning because it is tied to hunger, the pressure to revive the club, and the hopes of an entire city. Therefore, trophies like the FA Cup or Carabao Cup bring an intensely satisfying feeling: raw, direct, and full of energy.
Varane also mentioned that leaving Real Madrid at the peak of his career was not an easy decision. After a brilliant summer in 2018, when he won both the Champions League and the World Cup, he started wanting a new challenge, a new environment to push himself.
“Looking back, I have no regrets about joining Manchester United. It has been an incredible experience,”Varane affirmed.
Wearing the Red Devils' jersey, although for a relatively short time, the French defender managed to add the Carabao Cup and FA Cup to his collection — trophies that may not be as prestigious as the Champions League but gave Varane much stronger and more exhilarating emotions.