With Pepe's time at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu drawing to a close, Real Madrid will plan for the future in placing their faith in a defensive pairing of Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane.
Long considered a mainstay at the back, the departure of the veteran Portuguese defender has opened a door for Frenchman Varane, who will be given a chance to cement a regular place in Zinedine Zidane's side in the coming year.
Power and speed
Due to the strength of Ramos and the speed of Varane, any partnership involving the duo would almost certainly be well balanced and full of potential. Sometimes rash but more often than not a superb one-one-one defender, Los Blancos captain Ramos may benefit from having a recovery player able to keep the continent's quickest strikers at bay alongside him.
Aerial dominance
Another area in which the duo excel is under the high ball, with the imposing Ramos key in both boxes and Varane's stature marking him out as a formidable opponent. Positionally, they also tend to read the game well- particularly when the ball is delivered from wide areas.
Ability to start attacks
Varane's presence gives Zidane an additional figure for his possession game, as the Frenchman is comfortable on the ball and able to start attacks from the back. Ramos, then, would be able to negate any high press from the opposition by relying on his partner or going long early depending on who is playing up front for Los Merengues.
Captaincy and youth
The best indication of the rapport between Ramos and Varane is what they bring to the team. In meshing the leadership ability of the former with the youth and exuberance of the latter, it is possible that Real Madrid may have stumbled upon a pairing that will lead the club to bigger and better things than in even 2016.
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