Raphael Varane has revealed he played in some of the biggest matches of his career while suffering the effects of concussion - and withdrew from a Manchester United game this season with similar symptoms.
The French defender, 30, told L'Equipe that he played in his country's 2014 World Cup quarter-final defeat to Germany after taking a blow to the head, which left him with 'eye fatigue'.
Varane also blamed his horror show in Real Madrid's 2019-20 Champions League last-16, second leg loss to Manchester City on concussion, admitting he 'felt like a spectator'.
He said concussion symptoms forced him to withdraw from a United fixture this season, telling the French sports newspaper: 'During a match, I performed a series of headers, and in the days that followed I felt abnormal fatigue as well as severe eye fatigue.
'I reported to the staff that I was not fit to play and they strongly recommended that I not play. I took a test from a doctor, the results of which were passed on to the staff and I did not play for following match.
'But if I hadn't asked to take these tests, I probably would have been lined up a few days later and, to be honest, I felt bad that I didn't play the next game because of a migraine.'
Speaking out to help awareness of the potentially fatal consequences of playing with concussion symptoms, Varane spoke of two significant matches in his illustrious career in which he played when he really shouldn't have done.
Having taken a blow to the temple in France's 2014 World Cup last-16 match against Nigeria, which left him playing the remainder of the game 'in autopilot mode', he started the next game against Germany.
'I wasn't going to miss a World Cup quarter-final because I was a little tired,' he admitted.
'I felt
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