Manchester United defender Raphael Varane has called for better concussion care for players.
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During an interview with French sports daily L’Equipe on Tuesday (2), Varane talked about the subject, and the several scares he suffered during his career. “When we look at three of the worst matches of my career, there are at least two before which I had a concussion a few days earlier”, said Varane.
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The defender recalled the France match against Nigeria at the 2014 World Cup, when he took a ball to the side of the head. “At the start of the second half, there’s a cross where I take the ball on one of my temples, and I run into the net of the opponent’s goal. I finished the match but I was in ‘autopilot’ mode”, said Varane.
“I was weakened, but ultimately I played and rather well… What we’ll never know is what would have happened if I had taken another knock to the head. When you know that repeated concussions potentially have a fatal effect, you tell yourself that it could go very wrong”, he added.
“As footballers used to playing at the highest level, we are accustomed to pain, we are a bit like soldiers, tough guys, symbols of physical strength, but these (concussions) are symptoms which are quite invisible”, explained the defender.
“We need to talk about the dangers linked to second impact syndrome, and to the repetition of knocks because of head play”, urged the French. He called for a reduction in the number of headbutts during training sessions in order to reduce the risks.
