Raphaël Varane

Jaguar


The Frenchman has a passion for cars, he's got quite a collection going but this pearl of a Jaguar is his favourite!

Born in Lille, France, he began his development at the age of 7 with local club AS Hellemmes in 2002 but would soon move to the youth academy of  RC Lens; In 2010, after ascending through various age groups, he was called-up to the senior squad towards the end of the year and was handed a surprise debut against Montpellier, with the match finishing 2-0 to Lens. His performances for the club soon gained the attention of Europe’s top clubs, and on 27 June 2011, the Frenchman joined the biggest club in the world, Real Madrid, on a six-year deal for a fee of €10 million. On 21 September, he made his debut as Madrid played out a goalless draw against Rayo Vallecano in the league; in the following league fixture he scored his first goal for the club in a 6-2 route. Despite the lack of playing-time, his first season ended on a successful note as Madrid captured the La Liga title for the first time in 3 years. He began to grow in stature and within his third season at the club cemented his place as the club’s first-choice centre-back alongside club captain Sergio Ramos; since then the Frenchman has gone on to make 280 appearances for the Los Blancos. His partnership with Ramos formed the bedrock of Real Madrid’s most successive period since the mid-fifties, with the club winning 4 UEFA Champions League in 5 years. On the international stage he has been capped 60 times for France, and was a vital part of the defence that won the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.