Raphael Varane: With Messi you can't defend like with the rest

Real Madrid central defender Raphael Varane made it clear in an interview with DAZN that facing Leo Messi doesn't follow the same rules as with other opponents.

"Lionel is a special player, with him you can't defend like you do with the rest," said Varane. "He needs a lot of attention, you have to defend as a team. You can't allow him space."

The Frenchman praised Zinedine Zidane. "Zizou is a great example for me. He's very calm. He's always positive and believes in himself, in everything that he does."

Varane also revealed his footballing reference points. "I was inspired by players like Pepe, Sergio Ramos, defenders like me, and Cristiano Ronaldo. He's an example for any football player. I learned a lot from them. For example, from Ramos I took the winning mentality. He finds stimulus every day, he always wants to win, even in training. He's experienced and never loses the right motivation."