Sami Khedira facts for kids
Khedira lining up for Germany in 2018
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Sami Khedira | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 4 April 1987 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Stuttgart, West Germany | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Central midfielder | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1992–1995 | TV Oeffingen | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1995–2004 | VfB Stuttgart | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2006 | VfB Stuttgart II | 21 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2010 | VfB Stuttgart | 98 | (14) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2015 | Real Madrid | 102 | (6) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2021 | Juventus | 99 | (21) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021 | Hertha BSC | 9 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 329 | (42) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2004 | Germany U17 | 10 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2009 | Germany U21 | 15 | (5) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2018 | Germany | 77 | (7) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 6 May 2021 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 27 June 2018 |
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Sami Khedira (born 4 April 1987) is a German former professional footballer. He played as a central midfielder, a player who helps both defense and attack.
Sami started his career at VfB Stuttgart in Germany. He helped them win the Bundesliga in 2007. Later, he moved to Real Madrid in Spain in 2010. There, he won many trophies, including the UEFA Champions League in 2014.
In 2015, he joined the Italian team Juventus. He won the Serie A title five times with them. Sami also played for the German national team from 2009 to 2018. He played in three FIFA World Cups and two UEFA European Championships. He was a key part of the team that won the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Contents
Sami Khedira's Football Journey
Playing for VfB Stuttgart
Sami Khedira joined the youth team of VfB Stuttgart in 1995. Before that, he played for a local club called TV Oeffingen. In the 2006–07 season, he joined Stuttgart's main team. His first game was on 1 October 2006 against Hertha BSC.
He scored his first two goals on 29 October in a 3–0 win against Schalke 04. In January 2007, he signed his first professional contract. On 19 May, in the last game of the season, Khedira scored the winning goal. This helped Stuttgart become champions for the first time in 15 years. He stayed with Stuttgart until 2010.
Time at Real Madrid
On 30 July 2010, Khedira moved to Real Madrid in Spain. He signed a contract until 2015. He played his first game for Real Madrid in a friendly match on 13 August. His first league game was later that month.
In his first season, he played 40 games. He won his first trophy with Real Madrid, the Copa del Rey, in 2011. He scored his first goal for Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League in October 2011. On 21 April 2012, Khedira scored a goal against FC Barcelona. This goal helped Real Madrid break a league record for most goals in a season.
On 24 May 2014, Khedira started in the Champions League final against Atlético Madrid. Real Madrid won the match 4-1, which was a huge achievement.
Moving to Juventus
On 9 June 2015, Sami Khedira joined the Italian team Juventus. He signed a four-year contract. He had an injury during a pre-season game in August. This meant he missed the start of the 2015–16 season.
He returned to play on 30 September in a Champions League game. On 4 October, he played his first Serie A game and scored a goal. In March 2016, he scored his fourth league goal of the season.
Khedira continued to be a key player for Juventus. On 22 October 2017, he scored his first career hat-trick (three goals in one game). In March 2018, he played his 100th game for Juventus. In September 2018, he signed a new contract with the club. He had a heart issue in February 2019 but returned to play in April.
Return to Germany with Hertha BSC
On 1 February 2021, Khedira returned to Germany. He signed with Hertha BSC in the Bundesliga. He played his first game for them on 5 February 2021. On 19 May 2021, Sami Khedira announced that he would retire from football at the end of the season.
International Career for Germany
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Youth Teams and Senior Debut
Sami Khedira played 30 times for different German youth national teams. He was the captain of the under-21 team that won the 2009 European Under-21 Championship.
He made his first appearance for the senior German national team on 5 September 2009. This was in a friendly match against South Africa.
2010 FIFA World Cup
Khedira was chosen for the German squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. He played in all seven matches as Germany reached the semi-finals. On 10 July 2010, he scored his first goal for the senior team. This goal helped Germany win 3–2 against Uruguay in the third-place match. Germany won the bronze medal in the tournament.
UEFA Euro 2012 and 2014 World Cup
Khedira played a big part in Germany's qualification for UEFA Euro 2012. He played in every minute of their games until they reached the semi-finals. He scored a goal in the quarter-final win against Greece. He was also chosen for the Team of the Tournament.
In November 2013, Khedira had a serious knee injury. Many thought he might miss the 2014 FIFA World Cup. However, he recovered in time and was part of the squad. On 8 July, he scored Germany's fifth goal in their amazing 7–1 win against host nation Brazil in the semi-final. He was supposed to start in the final against Argentina. But he got injured during the warm-up and was replaced. Germany went on to win the World Cup 1–0 after extra time.
Euro 2016 and 2018 World Cup
Khedira was also part of Germany's squad for UEFA Euro 2016. He got injured in the quarter-finals against Italy and could not play for the rest of the tournament. Germany won that match but lost in the semi-finals to France.
In May 2016, Sami Khedira was featured as a collectible Lego minifigure. This was part of a special series for the European Championship.
He was included in the squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. However, Germany was eliminated early in the group stage. After this tournament, he was not called up for the national team again.
How Sami Khedira Played
Sami Khedira was known as a strong and versatile midfielder. He could cover a lot of ground on the field. He was good at winning the ball back from opponents. He could also quickly join in the team's attacks.
He was a threat in front of goal, especially with his powerful shots and good heading ability. Khedira was also known for his vision and accurate passing. He could play in different midfield roles. He was good at making late runs into the penalty area to score goals. Even though he was a great player, he was also known to get injured quite often.
Beyond the Field
In May 2021, after retiring, Khedira became a studio analyst for ESPN. He shared his football knowledge during their coverage of the UEFA Euro 2020 tournament.
Personal Life
Sami Khedira was born in Stuttgart, Germany. His father is from Tunisia, and his mother is German. Sami has a younger brother named Rani. Rani also plays professional football for Union Berlin. He has also played for Germany's youth teams.
Career Statistics
Club Appearances and Goals
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | Continental | Other | Total | Ref. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| VfB Stuttgart II | 2004–05 | Regionalliga Süd | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | 5 | 0 | ||||
| 2005–06 | Regionalliga Süd | 7 | 0 | — | — | — | 7 | 0 | |||||
| 2006–07 | Regionalliga Süd | 9 | 1 | — | — | — | 9 | 1 | |||||
| Total | 21 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 1 | — | ||
| VfB Stuttgart | 2006–07 | Bundesliga | 22 | 4 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 26 | 4 | |||
| 2007–08 | Bundesliga | 24 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 34 | 1 | ||
| 2008–09 | Bundesliga | 27 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 1 | — | 37 | 8 | |||
| 2009–10 | Bundesliga | 25 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 0 | — | 35 | 3 | |||
| Total | 98 | 14 | 12 | 1 | 21 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 132 | 16 | — | ||
| Real Madrid | 2010–11 | La Liga | 25 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 8 | 0 | — | 40 | 0 | ||
| 2011–12 | La Liga | 28 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 42 | 4 | ||
| 2012–13 | La Liga | 25 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 44 | 4 | ||
| 2013–14 | La Liga | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 18 | 1 | |||
| 2014–15 | La Liga | 11 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 0 | ||
| Total | 102 | 6 | 20 | 2 | 34 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 161 | 9 | — | ||
| Juventus | 2015–16 | Serie A | 20 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 5 | |
| 2016–17 | Serie A | 31 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 46 | 5 | ||
| 2017–18 | Serie A | 26 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 39 | 9 | ||
| 2018–19 | Serie A | 10 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 2 | ||
| 2019–20 | Serie A | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 | ||
| 2020–21 | Serie A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 99 | 21 | 11 | 0 | 32 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 145 | 21 | — | ||
| Hertha BSC | 2020–21 | Bundesliga | 9 | 0 | — | — | — | 9 | 0 | ||||
| Career total | 329 | 42 | 43 | 3 | 87 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 468 | 47 | — | ||
International Appearances and Goals
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | |||
| 2009 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2010 | 16 | 1 | |
| 2011 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2012 | 12 | 1 | |
| 2013 | 8 | 2 | |
| 2014 | 9 | 1 | |
| 2015 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 12 | 2 | |
| 2017 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 5 | 0 | |
| Total | 77 | 7 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 July 2010 | Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth, South Africa |  Uruguay |
3–2 | 3–2 | 2010 FIFA World Cup |
| 2 | 22 June 2012 | Stadion Energa Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland |  Greece |
2–1 | 4–2 | UEFA Euro 2012 |
| 3 | 6 February 2013 | Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France |  France |
2–1 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 4 | 11 October 2013 | RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne,Germany |  Republic of Ireland |
1–0 | 3–0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 5 | 26 June 2014 | Mineirão, Belo Horizonte, Brazil |  Brazil |
5–0 | 7–1 | 2014 FIFA World Cup |
| 6 | 11 October 2016 | HDI Arena, Hanover, Germany |  Northern Ireland |
2–0 | 2–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 7 | 11 November 2016 | San Marino Stadium, Serravalle, San Marino |  San Marino |
1–0 | 8–0 |
Trophies and Awards
Sami Khedira won many important trophies during his career:
VfB Stuttgart
- Bundesliga: 2006–07 (German League Champions)
Real Madrid
- La Liga: 2011–12 (Spanish League Champions)
- Copa del Rey: 2010–11, 2013–14 (Spanish Cup)
- Supercopa de España: 2012 (Spanish Super Cup)
- UEFA Champions League: 2013–14 (Europe's biggest club competition)
- UEFA Super Cup: 2014 (Match between Champions League and Europa League winners)
- FIFA Club World Cup: 2014 (World club championship)
Juventus
- Serie A: 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20 (Italian League Champions)
- Coppa Italia: 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18 (Italian Cup)
- Supercoppa Italiana: 2018 (Italian Super Cup)
- UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2016–17
Germany U21
Germany
Individual Awards
- UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament: 2012 (Chosen as one of the best players in the tournament)
Other Honors
- Order of Merit of Baden-Württemberg: 2016 (An award from his home state in Germany)
See also
In Spanish: Sami Khedira para niños
