France international Varane has been at Madrid for almost nine years, having joined from Lens as a highly-rated teenager.
As such, the center-back was a long-time team-mate of Ronaldo at the Santiago Bernabeu, before the former Manchester United forward left for Juventus in 2018.
Ronaldo is known for his often-intense personality and commitment in training, and Varane reminisced about the time he bit back at Los Blancos’ then-talisman.
“Varane, go into the middle,” Ronaldo is said to have barked, to which Varane claims he replied: “I’m not Varane, I’m Rapha!”
But the 26-year-old says he was not showing Ronaldo a lack of respect, rather showing a bit of character.
“It was not disrespectful,” Varane told Onze Mondial. “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.”
Any issues with Ronaldo start and end there, however, with Varane lavishing his former colleague with praise for his achievements.
“He’s great, great, on a human level – and on a footballing level, I don’t even have words anymore,” Varane said.
“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.’”
Varane recently also revealed the immense pressure that comes with playing for Real Madrid, noting even a draw for the club feels catastrophic.
Culled from yahoosports
