France and Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane has praised Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho for his 'personality and charisma'.
The 20-year-old, who joined the Spanish giants from RC Lens in 2011 for £8 million, has experienced a meteoric rise to prominence, becoming a regular for both club and country after being handed a run in the first-team by the Portuguese coach last year.
And the centre-back was keen to praise Mourinho as the best coach he has worked with so far in his short career.
“Jose Mourinho is a winner, a competitor, and he transmits that to his players. Wherever he’s gone he’s always created combative teams with lots of character," Varane said in an interview with FIFA.com.
“I’m only young and haven’t had many coaches, which means it’s difficult for me to make comparisons, but I’d say it’s his personality and charisma, which were felt by the whole team."
Varane’s chance at Real Madrid came when centre-back Pepe was dropped by Mourinho, and responded to criticism for omitting the Portugal international by stating: “Pepe has a problem and his name is Raphael Varane.”
He admitted he was expecting his debut, adding: “It came up in the chat I had with Mourinho. He told me that I’d have my chance to play and that I was going to find out about myself and get to know myself better.”
“I’d never been under a lot of pressure before, either on the pitch or off it, and he said that I’d soon be given the opportunity to find out how I’d react to it. Mourinho kept his word. In the two years I played for him he always kept his word, and he also knew when to throw me in at the right time.”
