Raphael Varane: A star in the making

Guess who grabbed all the headlines after the latest round of El Clasicos? Nope it wasn’t Messi or Ronaldo, but a 19-year-old center back – playing in his first ever Clasico – who goes by the name of Raphael Varane.

A new star was born, a new idol for the thousands of Madristas and maybe for the first time, that idol is a defender. With amazing latch ditch tackles, goal line clearances and most vital of all, not letting Messi do much damage, Varane put in a man-of-the-match performance for the under strength Real Madrid side. And above all scored the crucial equalizer, which gives Real a very good chance of progression.

The former Lens player wasn’t overawed by the occasion and more importantly he stamped his authority when the defenders around him weren’t at their best. Ricardo Carvalho’s time at the top seems over, Michael Essien is no right back and Arbeloa as always tends to make mistakes. And he was up against arguably the best attack in the world and more importantly the best player in the world. His pace is up there with the Usain Bolts and Asafa Powells as Messi and Jordi Alba found out to their dismay. Many a time when the Argentine tried to dribble past the Madrid defence, Varane was there to shrug him off the ball.

For a defender,Varane certainly possesses world class technical skills. His distribution was good and was one of the best passer on the night for Real Madrid. With his pass completion percentage being 88 and all 3 out of 3 long balls being accurate, Xabi Alonso would have been proud of the performance. His reading of the game is exemplary for his someone of his age. He managed to win 3 offsides against the most intelligent forward players in the world. His composure with the ball especially when the Catalan forwards were hounding him was world class. Mourinho certainly has a big selection headache when his first choice center back pairing Sergio Ramos and Pepe make their returns.

And when it comes to tackling, probably the most vital attribute for a defender, Varane is no slouch. One tackle when Fabregas was clean through on goal deserves a paragraph on it’s own. He charged down Cesc who was already on his way to goal and produced a superbly timed challenge with his right foot just when the former Arsenal captain was getting ready to shoot. His performance last night displayed every skill a central defender needs to have including a brilliant goal line clearance from Xavi’s goal bound shot. Even his goal was a typical center back goal, a towering jump overpowering the Barca defenders and heading the ball cleanly into the net.

Varane’s tackle on Fabregas

Real Madrid have a gem of a player in Varane, who could be the heart of their defence for years to come. And with better defenders around him, he certainly will improve. For the second leg at the Camp Nou, Sergio Ramos will return and with Pepe doubtful, Varane will be a key player if Real are to win the tie.

No El Clasico article is complete without the mention of Andres Iniesta. Although not directly involved in the goal which Barcelona scored, the little genius was a joy to watch. For Barca supporters and for the neutrals (probably even for Madristas) whenever Iniesta got the ball, the eyes lit up, the expectation levels raised and they watched the man in delight like a child.

He found space where Messi couldn’t, he threaded passes when Xavi couldn’t and the ball stuck to his foot like there was super glue on his boot. Somehow there was a feeling that he wasn’t involved as much as he could have been, but he worked his socks off in quest for the winner.