Manchester United defender, Raphael Varane has said that he has damaged his body, insisting that he doesn’t know if he will live to be 100.
The Frenchman said this while opening up about advising his seven-year-old son to avoid using his head when playing football.
Despite his own success in heading the ball, Varane believes it has damaged his body, and he foresees similar long-term harmful effects if his son were to continue doing so.
The former Real Madrid star shared his experience of feeling abnormally tired in the following days and having eye fatigue after repeatedly heading the ball during a Man United match earlier this season.
“My seven-year-old son plays football, and I advise him to head the ball. Even if it does not cause immediate trauma, we know that, in the long term, repeated shocks are likely to have harmful effects. I don’t know if I will live to be 100, but I know that I have damaged my body,” Varane said (via centredevils).
“Earlier this season, I headed the ball repeatedly during a match for Man United and felt abnormally tired in the following days, as well as having some eye fatigue. As footballers playing at the highest level, we are used to pain, we are a bit like soldiers, tough guys, symbols of physical strength, but these symptoms are almost invisible.”