Manchester United defender Raphael Varane believes his body has been "damaged" due to effects of continually heading the ball.
Varane says that he advises his seven-year-old son not to head the ball when he plays.
The 30-year-old also revealed that he finished a World Cup last-16 game for France against Nigeria in 2014 on "autopilot" after suffering concussion.
"Personally, I don't know if I'll live to be 100, but I do know that I've damaged my body," Varane told L'Equipe.
"The dangers of headers need to be taught on all amateur football pitches and to young people.
"My seven-year-old son plays football, and I advise him not to head the ball. For me, that's essential.
"Even if it doesn't cause any immediate trauma, we know that in the long term, repeated shocks can have harmful effects."
Speaking about the Nigeria match, Varane added: "I finished the match, but I was in autopilot mode. The staff wondered if I was fit (to play in France's quarter-final against Germany). I was weakened, but ultimately I played and rather well.
"What we'll never know is what would have happened if I had taken another knock to the head.
"As footballers playing at the highest level, we are used to pain, we are a bit like soldiers, tough guys, symbols of physical strength, but these symptoms are almost invisible.
"If your leg hurts and you limp, everyone sees it. But with head injuries, it immediately feels weak to say that you are tired, that you have migraines or eye fatigue, so at first, we tell ourselves that it will pass."
Meanwhile fellow Manchester United defenders Lisandro Martinez and Victor Lindelof have been ruled out of action for at least a month with muscle injuries.
Lindelof, 29, came off with a hamstring problem during Saturday's Premier League match against Brentford and was replaced by Argentinian centre-back Martinez.
However, the club said on Tuesday night the latter has now sustained a calf strain in training and will miss United's next few games, starting with Thursday's league match against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
