Khedira on move to Real: "A bit ashamed of Mourinho"

HistoryAfter the 2010 World Cup, Sami Khedira moved from VfB Stuttgart to Real Madrid. His five years at Concha Espina were crowned with a Champions League victory in 2014. The 33-year-old looks back and talks, among other things, about the first conversation with José Mourinho and the incredible qualities of his teammates at the time.

Foto: imago images / Alterphotos“>Enlarge

Real transferred 14 million euros to VfB Stuttgart for Khedira in 2010 – Foto: imago images / Alterphotos

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“Mourinho asked if I want to play for him”

TURIN. At the age of 23, Sami Khedira dared to take the big step away from youth club VfB Stuttgart to Spanish record champions Real Madrid. The 77-time German international impressed José Mourinho, who came to Madrid from Inter Milan in the summer of 2010, during the 2010 World Cup in South America. “He wrote that I played a great tournament, that he had been watching me for a while and asked if I could imagine playing for him.”, the midfielder now recalled in an interview with the English-language sports portal THE ATHLETIC.

At the time, Khedira thought: “Whats that for a question? José Mourinho, triple winner with Inter, the best coach in the world, is interested in me, Sami Khedira, a midfielder who plays for VfB Stuttgart? “ The native of Stuttgart “Knew that I was good, but I was almost a bit ashamed of him and was super nervous.” But of course he couldn’t resist Mourinho’s calls. “I flew to Madrid to meet him. We didn’t talk about tactics, just about winning. He asked me: ‘What do you want to achieve?’ and said, ‘You are my man’. Then we hugged when the meeting was over, after a few minutes “, revealed the former real professional.

Sami Khedira has not forgotten anything. Not how nice his time at Real Madrid was, and also … read on

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“Working with him is no picnic”

The fact that he was only traveling to the Spanish metropolis for a brief chat made Khedira think at first. “At first I thought: That’s what you flew all the way to Madrid for? But you can’t get a bigger message from a trainer. He has a way of convincing people, there is something in his eyes. ” However, the Portuguese could also do otherwise: “He is very direct, very demanding, working with him is no picnic because he doesn’t do things by halves. If you don’t perform well, you get it on the neck. But you understand it’s because he values you as a player. The maximum is not enough for him, he pushes you to your limit. “

Only through the requirements that the “Special One“ put to him, be he “Become the player and the person I am today. By the way, only when he stops talking to you do you have to worry. Then you have to be careful. I’m so glad he’s doing so well at Spurs. Nobody would have thought they could still do it. But he never stops believing in it, that’s his secret. And now he’s back. I find that fascinating, but I’m not surprised. “

Besides Mourinho also Ancelotti “great personality”

In addition to Mourinho, Khedira also got to do with Carlo Ancelotti at the royal team. “We stayed in contact over the years. He and José are both great people who I learned so much from, about the game and about myself. They are both with clubs that play an important role in the league. “

The 33-year-old has the work ethic that distinguishes the stars at Real Madrid “never seen.” Khedira looked back and remembered asking Cristiano Ronaldo about good places to eat in the Spanish capital at the beginning: “We mostly eat at home and do additional training units”was the answer from the star striker.

“You were from a completely different planet”

His former teammates in the white ballet are all “World class player or even Ballon d’Or winner” been. The Swabian quickly learned: “They stayed longer on the field and spent more time on the training field doing extra work. I thought I knew what it was to be a pro, but they were from a completely different planet. They pulled it through to the logical end and showed total dedication. It was then that I realized that I had about ten hours a day to work on myself, in addition to the four or five hours I spent on the training field and that I could do so much more than on the sofa or by the pool to laze about. “

Khedira played a total of 161 competitive games for Real Madrid, scoring nine goals and 13 assists. However, his time in the Spanish metropolis was also showered with injuries. In 2015 he finally moved to Juventus Turin. He has no future with the Italians, has not yet played this season and, according to his own statements, would like to see a transfer to the Premier League – therefore to Mourinho and Tottenham or Ancelotti and Everton.

Khedira on move to Real: “A bit ashamed of Mourinho”

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