Raphael Varane played final 11 years of career 'on one knee' - including at Man Utd

Raphael Varane has made the , including his three seasons at , playing with only "one knee".

The winner from France confessed: "I haven't tackled for years". Varane announced his retirement last month at the age of 31 following a left knee injury during his debut for Como. The former star explained that since a meniscus injury in 2013, his left knee had been compensating for his right.

“So if my left knee was telling me it had had enough, I had to listen,” Varane told L’Equipe. “Since the age of 20, I have played with the sword of Damocles hanging above my right knee. The right knee had become strong but less mobile and my left knee did everything for power and pushing off. How did I play for 11 years with one knee? With a lot of effort, sacrifices, care and learning to manage a new balance.

“Psychologically, when I entered the pitch, I couldn’t say to the others, or even myself, that I had only one knee. In fact, if you only looked at the knee, you would worry. I knew I could get hurt, break my knee, but we all live with risk. We don’t put our lives on the line like gladiators but we play with our physical issues, that is who we are. Since we were small, we are tough guys. We have played with pain all our lives.”

The former Manchester United player, who won the FA Cup in his final appearance for the club, added: "I am not sure careers last longer. The average age is falling, for example, in the Premier League. If I had stopped before, I would have had regrets. Now I know I could go no further and I can be proud of all that."

Varane, who joined Real Madrid in 2011, also expressed his thoughts on modern football, claiming there is "less creativity, fewer geniuses on the pitch". He said: "Everything is robotic, there are game patterns that make it difficult to shake up a team's block. There is much less freedom."