Raphael Varne wants more action on head injury in football – ‘like most times, I kept playing’
Retired midfielder Raphael Varane has called for greater care and caution when it comes to head injuries. The former defender of Manchester United and Real Madrid retired in the summer, and he did not lose the fitness issues, but his quote is not mentioned.
Varane described the diary as a long-standing lone that his injury had troubled him throughout his career, and that he was in constant pain when he played.
“Exercise is health, doing elite sports is not,” said Varane. He was also asked if he would remove certain games from his career, starting with a sloppy performance against Manchester City in the Champions League, where Los Blanco were beaten. Varane did not use it as an excuse, but says he was not in the right condition to play.
“No, no, that made me stronger. And it made the derbies with United very happy (laughs). I’ve never had the chance to talk about something that I consider so important.”
Varane played in several cebsions
Going into more detail on the head injury, Varane explained the strange feelings he had when he was called up – and admitted that playing with things that happened in general was normal.
“In the previous game, against Getafe, I was hit hard in the temple with the ball. And I said, in the days that followed I felt a test. And I continued individually. And I was not able to look at the tests. And I did not agree with the communication, the power…”
“I couldn’t focus, it’s impossible. I felt like I was slowing down, being insulted
Varane highlighted that his case was more typical than unique when it comes to head injuries.
“As an athlete, it’s hard to accept that something happened to you. But I learned a lot from it. And they were the only time it happened to me in my career, and I learned there together with the professional team in France.”
Measures to prevent brain injury in football players
In recent years I have seen a return in the United Kingdom to the impact of football, with many studies suggesting that active football participation can affect a person’s chances of suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Heading the ball is prohibited for players under the age of 11.
“To me it makes perfect sense. When you talk to experts, it’s hard to understand why things haven’t changed already,” said Varane, supporting the movement. Varane was armed with statistics on this issue to make his point.
“There are millions of data points
The French defender, who is currently training at Como in Serie A with the youth teams, is being called by Spanish football to take some of the steps taken in England.
“Now there are more accurate tests. Look, the technology I used to measure my balance is also able to measure cognitive function. When we did this work in England. Today in Spain, when I left.”
Despite the studies that have taken place, the impact on players with head injuries is not a big discussion in Spanish football, and has not received much attention. Compared to other sports, such as rugby or American Football, football has more rules in terms of head injuries, although there is less contact with the head. The recent incident occurred when Gavi was removed after a medical examination.
