Sami Khedira

Lore & Background

Khedira began his career at VfB Stuttgart, winning the Bundesliga in 2007, before moving to Real Madrid in 2010. In his five seasons in Spain, he won seven domestic and international trophies, including the UEFA Champions League in 2014. In 2015, he moved to Serie A club Juventus on a free transfer, and won the Serie A title and Coppa Italia in his first three seasons with the club, followed by two more league titles and a Supercoppa Italiana. A full international for Germany since 2009, Khedira earned 77 caps for the national team. He has taken part at three FIFA World Cups and two UEFA European Championships with Germany, and was part of their squads which reached the semi-finals at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, as well as the 2012 and 2016 UEFA European Football Championships; he also won the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

In Their Own Story

The rain slicked the BayArena turf, turning the pitch into a mirror of the floodlights above. Khedira stood over the ball, chest heaving slightly after another relentless sprint to break up play. He scanned the field, his eyes locking onto a gap in the opponent's press. With a single, precise touch that cut through the mud and fatigue, he launched the counter-attack, his voice rising to rally his teammates forward into the storm.

Reader's Guide

Khedira played as a central midfielder. He is considered a dynamic and well-rounded midfielder, with good awareness and 'flawless aerial ability', who can cover a lot of ground efficiently, recover the ball and quickly join in the team's attacking plays; he is also capable of being a goal threat.

Did You Know?

• Khedira scored his first career hat-trick on 22 October 2017 in a 6–2 away win over Udinese while playing for Juventus.
• He scored Germany's 16th and last goal of the 2010 World Cup in the third place match against Uruguay, a match-winning header in the 3–2 victory.
• Khedira was part of a collaboration between the German Football Association and The LEGO Group, featured as a collectible minifigure in a Europe-exclusive series released in May 2016.