Raphael Varane, a defender for Manchester United, made the difficult choice to stop serving in the military abroad in February.
The France stalwart risked his life to assist Les Bleus get to the World Cup final in Qatar, but Argentina ultimately prevailed in a penalty shootout.
When he made the announcement, he sent out an emotional statement. He then gave Canal+ a thorough explanation, admitting: I gave everything: physically and mentally. But the very highest level is like a washing machine. You play all the time and never stop. We have overloaded schedules and play non-stop."
"Right now, I feel like I'm suffocating and that [Varane] the player is gobbling up [Varane] the man."
As a result, the 30-year-old will have some time to unwind and recharge this summer while France plays qualifiers against Gibraltar and Greece for the Euro 2024. He should be in good shape when it comes time to return to Carrington for preseason training.
"Yeah, it has been a very long season," he told club media. "So the last rest was in June last year! So yeah, I think it's important to charge the batteries and come back stronger.
"I think sometimes it's the best work you can do. So I need to rest too. And as I say, come back stronger because the next season will be a big challenge and I’m very excited. So we have to be ready for it.”
The exquisite center-back suffered an injury in the April Europa League match against Sevilla, the same game that his defensive teammate Lisandro Martinez suffered a foot injury that kept him out for the rest of the year.
Rapha, who had undergone thorough treatment, thankfully made a comeback in the closing stretch to assist United finish in third place ahead of Newcastle United and play in the Emirates FA Cup final against Manchester City.
He has extensive Champions League experience and has won the competition four times. He will probably be essential when we start our campaign in that league later this year.
"It's very important," he said of our return to Europe's premier tournament. "I think it's the standard of the club.
"Obviously, the league is very competitive, but that was very important, a big target this season and we achieved it.
"So I am very happy to be back in the Champions League."
The Europa League play-off victory over La Liga champion Barcelona after two legs definitely indicated that United should have no fear going forward.
"I think, this season, we showed we can beat any team in the world," declared Varane. "So we have to be confident. Not too much, but just enough, because we need to believe. We have to believe because we can do it."