Real Madrid: Don’t change your tune about Raphael Varane now

Real Madrid center back Raphael Varane made big mistakes against Manchester City, but they do not define him.

Friday night’s events have profoundly disappointed Real Madrid fans. Everyone was realistic heading into a 2-1 deficit in the second leg at the Etihad Stadium. Manchester City are a great team, and Madridistas knew it would take a remarkable comeback to get a win.

But Real floundered, losing 2-1 in a game that might as well have been 5-1. Madridistas were most heartbroken by which players struggled, with Raphael Varane‘s two goal-gifting mistakes stunning the fans watching at home.

Varane, at least up until that match, was widely considered the best-performing center back in Europe in 2020. He had fully bounced back from a poor 2018-2019 season and decent start to 2019-2020, rounding into top form as Real’s defense established itself as the best in European football with 25 goals allowed in La Liga.

That same defense looked shaky against Manchester City. And whereas young center back Eder Militao flourished with Sergio Ramos out, Varane received the criticism for failing to step up as the captain in the loss.

Raphael Varane was not alone in Real Madrid’s struggles

Just as forwards aren’t defined by the shots they miss, Varane should not be defined by two mistakes against Manchester City in the Champions League, as woeful as they were. Because of the high-pressure nature of playing center back, mistakes stand out more, and it is therefore easy for a center back to become a scapegoat – even someone as beloved and respected as Varane.

The reality is that Varane should not answer for this loss on his own. Why did Zinedine Zidane insist on passing it out of the back so frequently with Thibaut Courtois, whose only real weakness is his anemic distribution chops? Why did Zidane start Eden Hazard if he wasn’t fully healthy? Whereas Vinicius Junior? How come it took so long for Fede Valverde to play? Why weren’t Real Madrid moving the ball more aggressively when they needed goals? What happened to Casemiro? To Luka Modric?

Varane will face the most scrutiny, because his mistakes were punished. He will receive the most negative attention from opposing fan bases who haven’t watched him play at a world-class level in so many La Liga matches in 2020. 

That doesn’t mean the people who have watched and supported Raphael Varane for years have to do the same. He knows he messed up, to the point where he’s taking the loss harder than anyone else. If you have humanity for the players, reading Varane’s quotes is a sobering reminder of how alone a player can feel at their lowest moment.

But Varane’s quality is defined by every other performance in which he’s been amazing. It is not defined by two mistakes. The mistakes are a reminder of his imperfections, that his nerves exist, and that he is no robot. And for that reason, we must put into context his poor performance. We cannot lie and say he played well, but we can also maintain a proper perspective when discussing Varane. For he is still one of the world’s best defenders and a player Madridistas support fully.