France World Cup winner Raphael Varane on Tuesday announced his retirement from football at the age of 31.

Former Real Madrid and Manchester United center-back Varane had joined Italian club Como for this season but was then excluded from their Serie A squad having suffered a knee injury in August.

“A new life begins off the pitch,” Varane said on social media.

“I will remain with Como. Just without using my boots and shin pads.

“Something I am looking forward to sharing more about soon,” the four-time Champions League winner added.

Daniel Dubois, the British professional boxer, has defeated Anthony Joshua, the two-time world champion, with a fifth-round knockout to retain his IBF world heavyweight boxing title.

The 27-year-old demolished his fellow Briton at a packed Wembley Stadium in the United Kingdom on Saturday night.

It was a nightmare outing for Joshua, 34, as Dubois floored the former heavyweight champion thrice in the first three rounds before eventually finishing him off after 59 seconds in the fifth round.

LIGHTS OUT 👊💣 #JoshuaDubois pic.twitter.com/rNlOT1y6tD

— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) September 21, 2024

Dubois inflicted a fourth professional defeat on Joshua in front of 96,000 fans — the biggest crowd ever for a boxing event at the Wembley Stadium.

“I’ve only got a few words to say: Are you not entertained?” Dubois asked the crowd after earning the biggest win of his career.

“I’m a gladiator, I’m a warrior to the bitter end. I want to get to the top level of this game and reach my full potential.

“I’ve been on a rollercoaster ride. This is my time, this is my redemption story, and I’m not going to stop until I reach my full potential.”

When asked what went wrong, Joshua said: “Credit to him and his team. We rolled the dice at success and we came up short”.

“You know I’m pissed. You know I’m ready to kick up in the ring, but I’m going to keep my cool and keep very professional and give the respect to my opponent.”

Joshua was in a position to secure a possible fight against the winner of the December 21 fight between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury.

Dubois, 27, will now get that shot after improving to 21-3.

Anthony Joshua has spoken about the “pain” he has endured in his professional boxing career ahead of his IBF world heavyweight title fight with Daniel Dubois at Wembley on Saturday.

Joshua, 34, is looking to reclaim a world title for the first time since his first defeat to Oleksandr Usyk in September 2021, and told the BBC about the internal difficulties of attempting to return to the pinnacle of the sport, particularly given he fell short again against Usyk in August 2022.

“I’ve worked hard and been through a lot of pain, and I’ve worked hard to get better,” he said.

“Hopefully, those experiences won’t happen again because, as you saw that night [after the second Usyk loss], I don’t like losing.”

Since that 2022 defeat in Saudi Arabia, Joshua has rehabilitated his career with comfortable wins over Jermaine Franklin, Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and most recently Francis Ngannou. In that last fight, Joshua brutally knocked out the former UFC superstar in Round 2.

“I think I’m gifted with an ability to fight and compete. In boxing you’re able to read certain tendencies, you’re able to read your opponent, so I can always have an eye for that,” Joshua said.

“But there’s a supreme level that you can take it to. And it’s happened over the past eight or 10 months. I’ve really honed in on those skills.”

Joshua’s clash with Dubois is set to take place in front of 96,000 fans at English football’s national stadium, with the winner likely to assume prime position to fight either Tyson Fury or Usyk next, depending on the outcome of their rematch in December.