The Impact of Concussions on Soccer Players
The Frenchman has become aware of the impact and severity that concussions, suffered as a player, can have.
The French international Raphaël Varane has become aware of the impact and severity that concussions, suffered during his career, can have. He even links two of his worst career matches to head clashes he experienced days before.
According to Varane in an interview published by L'Équipe this Tuesday, one match was the round of 16 game he played on August 7, 2020, against Manchester City while wearing the Real Madrid shirt, which led to the team's elimination; and the 2014 World Cup quarter-finals against Germany with the French national team.
Regarding the Manchester City match, he recalls having to leave a league match against Getafe on July 3, 2020, due to a head collision, following which he underwent a recovery protocol, with five days of rest.
"I remember feeling intense fatigue, but I thought it was due to the usual decompression at the end of the season," he explains before adding that when he resumed training, he felt low energy, suggesting that if he had been examined, he might have needed more time to return to activity.
During the round of 16 match, he felt sluggish from the warm-up and found himself "too slow" the first times he touched the ball, unable to concentrate. He acknowledges having had a bad game, with Manchester City's two goals resulting from individual errors. In retrospect, he attributes these unusual errors to the head clash he suffered.
As for the 2014 World Cup quarter-finals, he also attributes his poor condition to a blow he received in the previous round of 16 match against Nigeria. Although he finished the Nigeria match, he later admitted feeling unwell, and a recovery protocol was applied. He specifically refers to the ocular fatigue he felt.
Despite doubts from the coaches about his fitness, he ultimately played against Germany and, in his judgment, did "mostly well, although (he lost) the duel against (Mats) Hummels" in the goal France conceded.
"What will never be known," he reasons, "is what would have happened if I had received a head impact. When you know that repeated concussions potentially have a deadly effect, you realize that things could go wrong."
Varane, currently playing for Manchester United, says that now, at 30 years old with three children, he sees things differently. He recounts that it was this season with his current club when he first heard about brain micro-concussions caused by repeated headers.
And as he felt abnormal ocular fatigue after a match, he underwent a test, and based on the results, it was decided that he would not play in the next match. In his opinion, headers in training, when unnecessary, should be limited, and in matches, heading should be done as safely as possible.
