The Times - UK - 04.12.2021

Why he is one of

world's best

VALUE FOR MONEY

Although he has won more major

trophies than any of those above him

in the list, he is only 10th most

expensive defender of all time

Most Expensive Defenders

Harry Maguire (Leicester to Man Utd)

Virgil van Dijk (Southampton to Man Utd)

Lucas Hernandez

(Atletico Madrid to Bayern Munich)

Matthijs de Ligt (Ajax to Juventus)

Rúben Dias (Benfica to Man City)

Aymeric Laporte

(Athletic Bilbao to Man City)

David Luiz (Chelsea to Paris St Germain)

John Stones (Everton to Man City)

Eliaquim Mangala (Porto to Man City)

Raphaël Varane

(Real Madrid to Man Utd)

£80m

£75m

£68m

£64m

£61m

£57m

£50m

£47.5m

£42m

£42m

Best win rate in Champions League

among French players

Lilian Thuram

(Juventus/Barcelona)

Varane (Real Madrid/Man Utd)61.6%

Karim Benzema

(Lyons/Real Madrid) 61.5%

56.7%

Blaise Matuidi (PSG/Juventus) 58.8%

Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich)58.6%

TROPHIES

France

World Cup (2018) 1

Real Madrid (2011-2021)

Champions Leagues 4

Spanish leagues 3

Spanish Cup 1

Club World Cups 4

PEDIGREE

Varane has played more times (86) in the

Champions League than any Frenchmen

bar Karim Benzema, Patrice Evra, and

Thierry Henry, and has the highest win

rate of any French player with 60 or

more games in the competition.

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final in Moscow were it not for

Croatia overwhelming England in the

semi-final. Varane felt France were

destined for glory the moment they

defeated Lionel Messi and company

in the round of 16. “After the victory

against Argentina we knew we will

win the trophy, not because of

arrogance but because the feeling as a

group was nobody can beat us,”

Varane recalls. “We feel very strong as

a group but it was not arrogant

because every player was humble.”

So was the coach, Didier

Deschamps. “He’s very calm and he

knows how to build the winning

mentality for the group, he knows it’s

not only about good players together.

That’s his strength.”

Deschamps’s players ended up

playing boules at 5am in Moscow.

“Yes, it’s true!,” Varane says. “It was an

absolutely amazing moment to win

the World Cup and we feel we’re not

just playing together, we are making

history together and we have to enjoy

it. The next time I will take more

holidays afterwards!”

He speaks so well, and has such

knowledge of the game, that

management is surely a possibility?

“Maybe! But if I have to answer now

it will be more negative than positive

but we never know. Zizou told me,

‘When I was your age, [becoming a]

coach was impossible for me.’ In

French we say ‘Never say never.’”

the times | Saturday December 4 2021 2GS 9

THEBRIEFING

All the Premier League news and quotes

Benítez points to Arteta’s Arsenal backing

Rafael Benítez

believes the

upturn in Arsenal’s

fortunes under Mikel

Arteta serves as a

perfect example of

why he should

continue to be backed

by Everton (Paul

Joyce writes).

Benítez highlighted

the improvement

Arteta has overseen

at the Emirates after

a number of difficult

spells in his two-year

reign.

Everton host

Arsenal on Monday

with the club owner

Farhad Moshiri set to

attend the match as

Benítez seeks to

arrest an eight-match

winless streak.

“I think he is doing

well and could be an

example of a new

manager at a new

club under pressure

from the beginning

last year, from the

beginning this

season,” Benítez said.

“Little by little, he

has continued

working the way he

wants to work and

the team is getting

better. They have also

spent some money

and they did well as

they have signed

some good players.

“He is an example

of a manager at a new

club who needed

time. Everyone was

talking about ‘We

need to give him

time’ and now he is

collecting the price

of that.”

Yerry Mina and

André Gomes are

training with the

group again, but the

striker Dominic

Calvert-Lewin is a

fortnight away from a

return to action and

Tom Davies is out

until the new year.

Rest? No, we

need Kane,

says Conte

Antonio Conte

has said he has

no plans to rest Harry

Kane for Tottenham

Hotspur, despite the

England striker

having made 90

appearances for club

and country since the

start of last season

(Gary Jacob writes).

“In this moment I

don’t see this team

starting without

Harry,” he said. “He is

an important player

for us.”

Kane has scored six

goals in Europe and

ten for England this

season, but just once

in 12 Premier League

matches.

“I’m honestly not

worried,” Conte said.

“I’m sure Harry is

happy if we win and

he doesn’t score.”

Vieira leaves

training after

family issue

Crystal Palace

are hoping that

Patrick Vieira, the

manager, will be

present on the

touchline against

Manchester United

tomorrow after the

Frenchman left

training because of a

family matter

yesterday.

Vieira’s assistant

manager Osian

Roberts, who took the

pre-match briefing

instead of him, said

that he expected

“normal service” to

resume today. “It

makes a big

difference when

Patrick is not here,”

Roberts said. “He’s

our leader, and you

always want him at

the helm leading

matters.”

Klopp hopeful on strike pair

Jürgen Klopp is

hopeful that

Mohamed Salah and

Sadio Mané will be

available for

Liverpool’s game

against Chelsea in the

new year before

departing for the

Africa Cup of

Nations. The

tournament takes

place in Cameroon

from January 9, a

week after Klopp’s

side travel to

Stamford Bridge.

Final arrangements

are still being made,

but Klopp believes

that a solution

whereby Salah will

join up with Egypt,

and Mané with

Senegal, immediately

after the trip to the

capital can be

thrashed out with the

respective football

associations. “I am an

optimistic person so I

hope so, but it’s not

completely in our

hands,” Klopp said.

Liverpool also

expect Naby Keita to

be selected by Guinea

for the competition,

which runs until

February 6.

9

We st Ha m

United are

Romelu

Lukaku’s

favourite top-

flight

opponents —

the Chelsea

striker has scored

nine Premier League

goals against them,

more than against

any other team.

The Belgian would

become the seventh

player to score

ten or more

goals against

West Ham if

he is on

target

today,

the most opposing

players to reach

double figures

against a club in

the Premier League.

“Sometimes I’m mad and take

decisions people weren’t thinking,

and some who people don’t

expect to play, play”

Pep Guardiola on his unpredictable

selections as Manchester City manager

the top and I’m sure fans will always
remember which team took them
back to the top. That’s a challenge
that motivates me.
“The winning mentality is not just
about how many trophies you have.
It’s about the way and the work you
do. Trophies... it’s just the ‘finality’,
the consequences.” It’s about working
hard first. “That’s what I want to do
every day and I know players like
Cristiano and other players in the
group know this way,” Varane says.
Ronaldo’s an example for all of us. We
want to fight to come back at the top.
“Maybe it’s about confidence as a
group. Sometimes with Madrid we
played very bad, very bad but we stay
calm because we knew our moment is
coming and we will kill them!
“Sometimes I remember games, for
example against Bayern Munich in
the Champions League [in the 2017
quarter-finals] and they were better
than us and we won. This is
confidence and we had to build it.
Before starting to win Champions
Leagues consecutively the team was
with the same quality but not the
same result. So why? It’s something
mental. I’m sure with calm, and [if] we
keep going with this incredible work,
the results will come.
“We know we have to improve. I
know from my experience there is a
lot of noise outside but inside we have
to go together and help each other.”

He had warm words for Ole

Gunnar Solskjaer and watched the

manager’s emotional farewell

interview. “Sometimes when you

speak about something sensitive, it’s

like a bit negative because it’s like a

weakness,” Varane says. “But it’s not

true. It’s a strength. Because when he

speaks with a player, he’s honest. It’s

important to manage and for

leadership to be honest with his

players and specially this point it’s

similar with Zizou. Maybe that’s why I

like this feeling. It was a short time

working with him but I learn a lot.”

United fans have quickly taken to

Varane. When United fans talk of his

style, they occasionally refer to him as

a “Rolls-Royce of a defender”. He

laughs. “Yes!” What’s the equivalent in

France? “Rolls-Royce!”

Asked about any weakness, Varane

replies: “I try to be always in control.

The tackle is the last thing you can

do, for my style of play. Some players

give [do] a lot of tackles but I try to be

in the right position and anticipate, to

read the game and move in the right

moment. Before he starts to run, I

move and he comes [there] after me. I

do less tackles now than at the

beginning of my career. I do less big

runs now not because I’m slower but

I just know when to run.”

He enjoys the partnership with

Harry Maguire who Varane would

have faced in the 2018 World Cup

MANCHESTER UNITED/GETTY IMAG