Raphaël Varane Key for Real Madrid in Champions League Final
While Sergio Ramos and Pepe are dirty, dirty butchers, Raphaël Varane is an artist and surgeon of a central defender. Comparing Varane to the classless hackers and divers that are Ramos and Pepe is insulting.
Varane defends better than Ramos and Pepe. Varane is a better ball-winning and ball-playing center back than Ramos and Pepe. Varane is more technically-skilled than Ramos and Pepe, and Varane is faster and quicker than Ramos and Pepe.
Varane is possibly the best defender in world football. He’s mabe even better than Thiago Silva, the gold standard for defenders. Zinedine Zidane was pivotal in Varane coming to Real Madrid as a teenager from France, so it’s suprising that Zidane has favored Pepe and Ramos in the center of the defense. Basically nobody that follows soccer believes that Ramos and Pepe are better than Varane, which makes it very strange that a soccer grandmaster like Zidane has made Varane sit on the bench.
For Real Madrid to win the Champions League Final over Atlético de Madrid, it will be crucial that Varane starts in the center of the defense, so that he will not be goaded into hacking Atlético’s attackers. Either Pepe or Ramos will have to start with Varane in the final, but only having one reduce the chance of a yellow or red card. Given how well fellow Frenchman Antoine Griezmann has been playing, a more graceful and athletic central defender like Varane is a smart decision for the final.
Looking toward the Champions League Final, Zidane must make the correct decision and start Casemiro as the defensive midfielder and Varane as one of the two center backs. Atlético de Madrid’s excitable coach Diego Simeone will be looking to make the Champions League Final an ugly affair full of hacking and diving, and Varane can reduce the likelihood of both Real Madrid center backs being carded in the Final.
With that being said, it bears mentioning that Varane does not like Simeone. Varane has spit plenty of verbals at Simeone during games, and he has also purposely kicked the ball into Simeone on the sideline.
Whereas Ramos and Pepe commit more cardworthy offenses, Varane seems to understand how to goad Simeone into crazier and crazier behavior.
Perhaps the 2016 Champions League Final will be the game where Varane cements his status as the world’s best center back with his electric speed, effortless skill, and graceful and dominating defending.