Stopping the Barcelona captain from running riot is
not impossible, the Merengue star affirms - but it is
more than a one-man job Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane has opened up about the difficulty of keeping Lionel Messi quiet,
confessing that it takes more than one man to keep
tabs on the magical Argentine. Varane has starred at the Bernabeu for almost a
decade since moving from Lens in 2011, lifting four
Champions Leagues and two Liga titles during his
stay. But even Madrid's stellar centre-back pairing of the
Frenchman and Sergio Ramos has been made to
suffer at the hands of Messi over the years.

Barcelona's captain is the all-time top scorer in Spain's famous Clasico, netting no less than 26 goals in the fixture to outgun the likes of Alfredo Di
Stefano, Cristiano Ronaldo and Cesar Rodriguez. Last time round, however, Messi found little joy as
he was squeezed out in a dour 0-0 draw at Camp
Nou. And while Varane admits that keeping the record-
breaking forward quiet is no easy task, he has a
few ideas on how to mark his adversary. "You can't defend like you do with others and it
takes teamwork. You can't leave him room," the
defender told La Liga when asked about Messi. "Being a defender of Real Madrid means being able
to make very few mistakes. We have 50 meters of
field behind us." Varane was barely 18 when he swapped Lens for
the pressure of the Bernabeu, but he has gone on
to become a cornerstone of the Merengue backline
alongside Ramos. The France international recalls that the Madrid captain and Pepe were role models for him as a
young player, while he also looked up to another
club legend. "I was inspired by players like Pepe or Sergio
Ramos because they are defenders and by
someone like Cristiano Ronaldo, who is an example
for any footballer," he added. "Sergio Ramos has a winning mentality and has
great experience.
"[Coach Zinedine Zidane] Is a great example for me
due to his serenity, his always positive being. I've
been here for eight years and every time it's like
starting from scratch. I want to give my best for this shirt."