A FIFA World Cup champion with France and a four-time UEFA Champions League winner with Real Madrid, Raphaël Varane has not lost an iota of his desire to succeed in the world of football.
The 27-year-old center-back has built a huge reputation for himself in a decade at the Santiago Bernabéu, but as he prepares for the quarter-final with Liverpool, he continues to draw inspiration from memories of his childhood clashes with his older brother. in Lille.
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“For me, pressure is a friend. It is a driving force. I think pressure makes you better. It gives you adrenaline and helps you think faster, be more focused and live the game more intensely. And I would say it Scary pressure should motivate you, as you run faster when you’re scared! “
“I don’t think that my style of play immediately suggests that I am a warrior. However, I recognize that I have a warrior mentality. I really like challenges. The more difficult the challenge, the more I enjoy it. The less you believe in me, The more motivated I am. That is my way of being and thinking, and that is what has helped me reach the highest level and stay there for several years. ”
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“I would say that it is something natural and innate, and that then develops through any experience. In my case, it was the daily challenge of trying to beat my older brother to reach his level and improve. I cried if I did not meet my goals. that that pressure to win and surpass myself has been in me since I was a child, and it will stay with me all my life. “
“Is it worth all that pressure when you manage to lift a big trophy like the Champions League? Yes. It is worth it. You try very hard. When you play at the highest level, you constantly question yourself, push your limits and try to be more focused and being better. It’s hard to stay at the highest level because it takes so much effort.
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“As I said, there are ups and downs, but when you are at the top, and it has always happened to me, you have to remember your difficult moments, either during your childhood, when you were trying to reach the top, or when you were already at the top. top”.
“You have to think: ‘We have suffered, we have gone through difficult times, we have had to fight to get here, and now we have achieved it.’ Every time I feel a mixture of emotions. The greater the pressure, the more emotional it is. Once that happens, it’s an explosion of joy. “
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