Manchester United defender Raphael Varane has said concussions have damaged his body as he stressed the importance of creating more awareness among players around the dangers of heading.

Varane, 30, told France daily L’Equipe that he had played multiple games for both club and country while dealing with the effects of head injuries, and he wants to raise awareness on what he considers to be an under-represented issue in modern football.

The former France international, who retired from international football in February 2023, said he got concussed playing in his country’s 2014 World Cup Round-of-16 match against Nigeria, adding that he finished the game on “autopilot”.

Varane said he also played with head injury symptoms for Real Madrid against Manchester City in the Champions League in the 2019-20 season.

He said he left the field against Getafe in a La Liga game five days prior and felt “intensely tired” in between games until he reached the warm-up of the European game and felt so tired he “almost wanted to slap myself.”

The issue continues to affect Varane and has forced him out of games this season for United — in particular relating to “micro-concussions” caused by headers.

“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.”

Varane added that the culture of men’s football contributes to the lack of conversations around head injuries.

“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. If your leg hurts and you limp, everyone sees it. But with head injuries, it immediately feels weak to say that you are tired, that you have migraines or eye fatigue ... So at first, we tell ourselves that it will pass.”

Varane said he thinks changes need to be made to ensure players aren’t overexposed to head trauma from a young age and beyond.

“My 7-year-old son plays football, and I advise him not 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.”

The International Football Association Board in March said additional permanent concussion substitutions will be enshrined in football’s laws.