Real Madrid defender, Raphael Varane has recounted when he snapped at Cristiano Ronaldo in training for not addressing him with his first name.
According to him, he only wanted to be called by his first name and he was not disrespectful to the serial goalscorer in any way.
He added that he is a nice and shy person on the pitch and in the dressing room.
His words, “‘Varane, go into the middle,'” Ronaldo is said to have barked, to which Varane claims he replied: “I’m not Varane, I’m Rapha!”
“It was not disrespectful,”
“I am super nice, I am great, even in the dressing room. I am also quite shy.
“But when there are difficult times or when you have to show your character, you can count on me. The players who have known me for a while know this.
“Of course, it’s not the aspect of my character that you see the most or that you see first. It was not a matter of respect or disrespect, it was just a matter of, ‘If I’m not seen, I’m not considered much.’
“After that it was more like: ‘Oh, I am also here, I also have a name.’ It was more like that.”
On Ronaldo, “He’s great, great, on a human level – and on a footballing level, I don’t even have words anymore,”
“He’s accomplished something extraordinary: he made his incredible achievements seem banal.
“And to do that…there are no words to explain it, it’s huge, it’s extraordinary. He taught me a lot and also surprised me. How many times have I said to myself: ‘Wow, this is incredible.'”
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