FC Player of the Day, Jan 4: Raphael Varane (Real Madrid)
Real Madrid moved level on points with Barcelona at the top of La Liga after close of play on Sunday after beating Getafe 3-0, with Raphael Varane emerging as the surprising goalscoring hero with two strikes either side of half-time.
To open to scoring 34 minutes in, he bravely latched on to a teasing cross from Ferland Mendy to nod into the empty net after winning the aerial battle with goalkeeper David Soria.
He made it two in the second half with another header, this time in much simpler fashion as he nodded in following the cross from Toni Kroos.
The Frenchman also contributed to the clean sheet earned by Madrid, as he won 5/6 duels, 5/6 aerial duels, and made five ball recoveries, two interceptions, and nine clearances.