Personal Information
Full Name | Sami Khedira |
Date of Birth | April 4, 1987 |
Nationality | Tunisian, German |
Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.89 m) |
Role | Central midfielder |
Family | Rani Khedira (Brother), Doris Khedira (Mother), Lazhar Khedira (Father), Denny Khedira (Brother) |
Sami Khedira: A Brief Biography
Sami Khedira Biography
Sami Khedira, born on 4th April 1987, is a German footballer who currently represents Italian club Juventus in club-football. The Stuttgart born midfielder blends speed, skill and game awareness to become a top player in the world.
Background
Khedira started his career at TV Oeffinger before he joined his native club, VfB Stuttgart junior team at the age of eight in 1995.
His first appearance for VfB Stuttgart U-17 was against Hertha BSC in the Championship final in July 2003.
In March 2005, Khedira made it to the VfB Stuttgart II against Sc Pfullendorf in Regionalliga Sud and was promoted to the senior team in October 2006 against Hertha BSC in Bundesliga.
Khedira ranked up through playing in Germany Under-16, Under-20 side and captained the national team to the 2009 Under-21 European Championship victory.
Debut
Germany’s youth policy rallied him to the senior national team prior to the 2010 FIFA World Cup and came in as the 73rd-minute substitution against South Africa in an international friendly
in September 2009.
Michael Ballack’s injury opened up space for Khedira in central midfield as the 22-year old got his maiden international cap in the group D opener against Australia in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in Durban.
Rise to Glory
Khedira caught the attention with his performance in 2010 World Cup. He played all the seven matches and substituted only twice. Khedira scored his first international goal in the third-place play-off against Uruguay in his debut World Cup.
Post the World Cup, the new star rose to prominence under Mourinho. The midfielder synchronized between the forwards and defenders to sprout Real Madrid’s lightening fast goals on counter.
He scored one of two goals against Barcelona in April 2012 to hand out the arch-rival a defeat since 2009.
The Juve man scored his first career hat-trick against Udinese in October 2017.
Low Points
Injury-prone Khedira tore his ligament in a friendly match against Italy in November 2013, raising the doubt over 2014 FIFA World Cup participation. Although he recuperated on time, he could not play in the 2014 World Cup final, suffering an injury during the warm-up.
He missed the 2016 Euro semi-final against France sustaining an adductor muscle injury.
Khedira went through a tough time in Madrid after Carlos Ancelotti took over the manager role, changing his duty in the midfield. With the emergence of Isco, Gareth Bale, Sami played fewer matches at Real.
Club Career
Khedira spent four seasons at VfB Stuttgart (2006-10), appearing in 127 matches for the Bundesliga side. He guided Stuttgart to notch 2007 Bundesliga.
Following a successful 2010 World Cup, Khedira moved to the Spanish giant, Real Madrid, in a 14 million euro transfer in July 2010. The central midfielder won one La Liga, two Copa Del Rey’s, one UEFA Champions League with the Los Blancos in his five seasons.
Juventus signed Khedira on a free transfer in 2015 and the German impressed in his debut Serie A season winning a double- Serie A and Coppa Italia. He won double in the domestic circuit and reached to UEFA Champions League final in 2016-17.