"Why are you useless?" - Former Real Madrid star recalls brutal question from Jose Mourinho 

Former Manchester United defender Raphael Varane has recalled Jose Mourinho calling him 'useless' during his time at Real Madrid. He claims that the manager called him to his office and straight away asked why he was not playing well.

Speaking to The Bridge, Varane stated that Mourinho helped him progress in his career and played a key role in helping him become the defender he ended up in his career. He added that the manager was blunt in his feedbacks with the players and called the Frenchman to his office after a poor performance.

Varane recalled that he was unwell and still played a match in which he did not perform well. He said via Metro:

"When I arrived, he told me: ‘I only want one thing, that for an hour and a half every day, you give everything. The rest, don’t worry, you’ll progress, I’ll take care of it, relax’. The first season, I must have played fifteen matches in total, but I played the matches where we had already qualified, the cup matches. He made me progress little by little and didn’t throw me in at the deep end right away. I had a good first season but now more was expected of me. So I overplayed a bit and I wasn’t comfortable, I wasn’t feeling well. And one day, at the start of the season, he called me, even though the team’s start to the season wasn’t great."

"I remember it well, it was in the gym, he called me over. He’s someone I really respect, he’s charismatic, and he said to me straight out… ‘but why are you useless?’. I looked at him like [stunned] because he had actually just stung me. I looked at him and said that it wasn’t easy because I wasn’t playing and that it was a complicated start to the season. He had nagged me then and then he asked me if I was ready to play the following Wednesday," Varane added.

Raphael Varane played 48 matches under Jose Mourinho during his time at Real Madrid. He had joined in the summer of 2011 and went on to play a key role at the club for a decade.

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Former Real Madrid star Raphale Varane calls it time on his career

Raphael Varane announced his retirement in September 2024 after picking up an injury just weeks after joining Como. The Frenchman suffered a knee injury 20 minutes into his debut for the Italian side in a Coppa Italia clash and was ruled out for a long time.

The former Manchester United star announced his retirement and posted on social media:

"They say all good things must come to an end. In my career I have taken on many challenges, rose to occasion after occasion, almost all of it was supposed to be impossible. Incredible emotions, special moments and memories that will last a lifetime. Reflecting on these moments, it is with immense pride and a feeling of fulfilment that I am announcing my retirement from the game that we all love."

Varane played nearly 500 matches in his club career, with 360 games for Real Madrid, 95 for Manchester United, and 24 for Lens. He played just once for Como before calling it a time on his career.