3. CB Raphael Varane
Like his center back partner Nacho Fernandez, Raphael Varane was vital to Real Madrid’s success in the month of February. There have always been unfair questions asked about Varane’s leadership ability, and he answered all of them forcefully by shining without Sergio Ramos’ larger-than-life presence next to him.
That’s because Varane is galactic himself. He is a defender who transcends the game, and nothing seems to perturb him. The mark of a man is how he responds to his own mistakes, and we saw that Varane is among the highest class of men with how he carried himself following that fateful evening at the Etihad Stadium last August.
Whenever Varane struggles for even one game, the microscope is on him and the complaints are exaggerated. But as the saying goes, the praise must be as loud as the disrespect. Yet the praise for Varane has been a mere murmur this month.
Varane was the hero at Huesca, stepping up with two goals to gift his team a win against the last-placed team in La Liga. He has made so many good interventions over the past month, scouting out runs and being the last man in many instances. His vision and composure are unmatched at center back, and Real Madrid should be eternally grateful that they have him in their ranks. And he must be kept at all costs.