‘I learned a lot’ – Martinez sends touching message to Varane after playing final game together

Manchester United’s centre-back duo Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane quickly became a fan-favourite pairing since being deployed together for the first time.

The experienced Reds formed a stalwart partnership at the heart of Erik ten Hag’s backline in 2022/2023 and were vital to the side’s successes that term: winning the Carabao Cup, reaching the FA Cup final and securing Champions League football with a third-place finish.

Unfortunately, both players endured injury-ridden seasons over the past nine months – particularly Martinez, who was only able to make eight Premier League starts in the 2023/2024 campaign.

When Varane and Martinez returned from their respective injuries in time to play Saturday’s final, supporters were delighted at the prospect of seeing them feature alongside each other one last time, given that Varane is leaving United when his contract expires next month.

As such, they put in outstanding shifts across the 90-minute tie and kept City’s prolific attackers quiet while also playing pivotal roles in United’s build-up play.

After being crowned FA Cup champions, Martinez took to Instagram to bid a heartfelt farewell to his counterpart.

“Brother, thank you for these two years we spent together,” he began. “It was really a pleasure playing alongside you, I learned a lot. I wish you all the best, Rapha! You are a great one.”