defender of Manchester United, Raphael Varane said he suffered the effects of concussions during his career. The problem, according to the player, comes from the recurring headbutts and clashes during matches.
At 30 years old, the defender told the French newspaper L’Equipe who played a number of games for club and country while dealing with the effects of head injuries and wants to raise awareness of what he considers to be an undervalued issue in modern football.
“The first time I heard about [de microconcussões] it was this season when experts came to talk to us about it. Many times, as a player, we don’t understand and don’t even think about taking a test”, the Frenchman began by saying.
“At the beginning of this season, I headed several times during a match for Manchester United and felt abnormally tired in the following days, as well as feeling a little tired in my eyes. I reported this to the medical team, who recommended that I not play. I also took a test that left me out of the next match”, he added.
The problem caused Varane to raise awareness about concussions and be one of the athletes to raise the flag for the cause to alert other players about the severity.
“As football players who play at the highest level, we are used to pain, we are a bit like soldiers, tough, symbols of physical strength, but these symptoms are almost invisible. If your leg hurts and you limp, everyone sees it. But with head injuries, it immediately becomes weak to say that you are tired, that you have a migraine or eyestrain. So at first we tell ourselves this will pass.”
The French defender revealed that changes need to be made in football to ensure athletes are not exposed to so much head trauma.
“Even if it doesn’t cause immediate trauma, we know that, in the long term, repeated shocks can have harmful effects. I don’t know if I’ll live to be 100, but I know I’ve damaged my body.”
