Both Real Madrid and the France national team were dealt a heavy blow on Tuesday when it was confirmed that Raphael Varane will be out of both the Champions League and the European Championships, thanks to a thigh injury picked up in training over the weekend.
France defender Raphael Varane out of Euro 2016 with injury
The Real Madrid defender will miss out on some huge moments. Adil Rami has been called up to replace him.
Carlos Rodrigues/Getty Images
While Real Madrid will have to pivot quickly in their defensive plans for this Saturday’s Champions League final against Atlético Madrid, it’s France and Didier Deschamps who are scrambling, finding themselves with a late change to make in their preparations for competing in Euro 2016 on home soil.
Varane is a big loss for France, who were counting on the talented young defender to help lead their back line as they hoped to win the Euros in front of a raucous home crowd at the Stade de France. He was likely to be partnered with one of Eliaquim Mangala or Laurent Koscielny, who will now likely form the starting pair in central defense for France. Varane's spot on the roster has been filled by Adil Rami, who was called into France's training camp on Monday when they first learned that Varane's injury might keep him out of the tournament.
Rami won't be a popular choice among France fans, as the Sevilla defender hasn't exactly inspired much confidence over the last several years. He also hasn't featured for France since 2013, largely because of that extended swoon in form. Especially when you consider that the much more talented -- if somewhat raw -- Samuel Umtiti was also on the provisional roster, France fans will be wondering why Deschamps didn't elect to go with the more talented player. They'll also be wondering anew why talents like Armeric Laporte and Mamadou Sakho were left off the provisional roster, but it's far too late for France to correct that mistake.
As for Real Madrid, this is only their latest injury woe in the buildup to the Champions League final. They also suffered a scare on Tuesday when Cristiano Ronaldo limped out of training after a nasty collision with backup goalkeeper Kiko Casilla and right back Dani Carvajal, but Ronaldo declared himself to be just fine and ready to play later in the day.
Fortunately for Varane, his injury is not expected to be a long-term one, so he should be more than ready to start next season for Real Madrid.
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