Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane has spoken of his pride at captaining his nation after France beat Sweden in a friendly this week.
The 22-year-old, who signed for Los Blancos from Lens and has become of of the world’s leading young centre-backs, took the captain’s armband for Les Bleus in the absence of regular captain Hugo Lloris.
And Varane marked the occasion by scoring the winner with just six minutes remaining, powering home a header from an Antoine Griezmann corner.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Varane said he was delighted with how the match went. He also spoke of his pride at France’s excellent form in 2014 – they have lost just one match all calendar year – the defeat to Germany in the quarter final of the World Cup.
He went on to state that his focus now switches back to Real Madrid and continuing the great form the side is in right now.
“I am taking advantage of this moment to the maximum. To be captain, it is the cherry on top of the cake, but what matters is the team. The aim is to win continuously with Real Madrid. I am very happy to finish the calendar year on a good note,” he commented.
