Raphael Varane Provides Another Glimpse into the Future of Real Madrid's Defence

It would have been some story.

UE Cornella's side includes teachers, dentists and students, and on Wednesday night they were handed the opportunity to square up to the mighty Real Madrid—Copa del Rey holders, European champions and the most expensive squad ever assembled.

Cristiano Ronaldo may have been missing, Gareth Bale, too, but Carlo Ancelotti was still able to include £65 million man James Rodriguez and the in-form duo of Karim Benzema and Isco.

Javier Hernandez completed Madrid's front four, but it was a defender who had the major say in seeing off this team of semi-professionals from Barcelona.

"Pepe has a problem and his name is Rapahel Varane," Jose Mourinho said in May 2013, per Marca, as his tenure in charge of the Spanish giants lapsed into a messy ending.

The main purpose of the comments was to rile Pepe, who Mourinho felt had let him down, but it was also absolutely true that the young French defender was already developing into competition for not just Pepe but Sergio Ramos, too.

Unfortunately, his progress has been derailed by a series of injury problems.

Manu Fernandez/Associated Press

Manu Fernandez/Associated Press

But at the home of Espanyol, which Cornella had borrowed for the occasion, he handed out the latest reminder that his fitness problems are behind him.

This was his sixth start for Madrid and his ninth appearance in total this season, and it yielded his first goal.

And his second.

Los Blancos had made a discouraging start, with Hernandez sending one pass bizarrely back to his own half and Alvaro Arbeloa completely missing the ball and allowing it to roll out for a throw-in for the home side.

When a side is packed with so much quality, though, it only takes one moment for things to change and Madrid's soon arrived.

It is normally their city rivals Atletico Madrid who are associated with scoring from set pieces, but here it was Real Madrid themselves; in particular Varane.

James' corner after 10 minutes was good, but the movement from Varane and the space he found was better—the thumped header was pretty good as well.

He will have to shoulder his share of the blame for the goal Madrid surprisingly conceded to let Cornella back into the game, even if it was Arbeloa who eventually allowed Oscar Munoz to turn and rifle home.

Perhaps that lapse in concentration is the reason Ancelotti, at the moment at least, still prefers Pepe and Ramos when the big games come around—they were the ones who started against Barcelona last weekend.

Manu Fernandez/Associated Press

Manu Fernandez/Associated Press

Varane would once again make amends at the other end and before half-time, though.

It was an Isco cross from the other side this time, but the result was the same as far as the 21-year-old defender was concerned.

Yes, he's still just 21.

In the second half, he was much more assured in front of his own goal, accurate with his passes and snuffing out any potential danger from Cornella's brief flirtations with the final third.

It's just a shame for his development that he currently has a problem: Pepe and Sergio Ramos.

Ancelotti can't keep him on the fringes for too long, though; he's already started using him regularly and it must only be a matter of time until he usurps one of Madrid's veteran central defenders on a full-time basis.

This could have been some story for Cornella, a fairy tale, but instead it was just the latest chapter in Varane's burgeoning career.