Raphaël Xavier Varane (French pronunciation: ; born 25 April 1993) is a French professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Spanish club Real Madrid and the France national team.
He previously played for French club Lens and, ahead of the 2010–11 season, began training with the senior team and appeared on the bench in several league matches. Varane made his professional debut in 2010 aged 17, in a league match against Montpellier. After one season with the French club, and as a professional footballer, Varane joined Real Madrid in the summer of 2011.
Since joining the Spanish giants, he has made over 250 appearances for the club and has won 16 major honours including: two La Liga titles and four UEFA Champions League titles. At only 24 years of age, Varane won his third UEFA Champions League trophy making him the youngest defender ever to have won three Champions League trophies, beating Paolo Maldini who was 26 when he won his third Champions League title.