Raphael Varane (25-04-1993, Lille) is a defender with a promising future and an already brilliant present. Despite having just turned 18 years old, the player earned the admiration of all European football in his first year in the elite. His impressive height (191 cm) allows him to dominate the aerial game; his versatility makes him a solid defender or central midfielder; his elegance made him see only two bookings in the entire season; and his speed, sense of anticipation, dribbling skills and maturity turned him into one of the most important players at Lens, getting to wear the captain's armband in the match before last against Arles-Avignon.

Varane was formed at the academy of Lens, one of the most prolific in France in recent years. Hailing by family from Martinique (his father was born in Le Morne-Rouge), the new Real Madrid defender played 23 league games last season, 22 of them as a starter. Despite his positioning as a defender, he scored two goals away from home against Caen and Monaco (both matches ended in 1-1 draws).

Varane made his debut with a 2-0 victory over Montpellier on 6 November 2010. Three weeks later (on Week 15), he earned a starting position under coach Jean-Guy Wallemme and kept it when Laszlo Boloni replaced him. Former player and current Lens academy coach Eric Assadourian once described the defender as "a first rate player who feels comfortable on the pitch, both tactically and technically. I'm sure he will be successful." New teammate Sergio Ramos could be his new role model at Real Madrid, given that the Seville defender signed for the club after his first season in the First Division and is now a true leader on the squad and a fan favourite.

Raphael Varane made his international debut with France's Under-18s against Denmark, scoring the last goal in a 24 August friendly (2-0). After a second match with the team he was promoted to the Under-21 side, with which he has already played three fixtures, the second of which was against Spain, who then featured the Madridistas Sergio Canales, Nacho Fernandez and Juan Carlos. France won the match 3-2 at Reims' Auguste-Delaune Stadium.