The former world-class midfielder Sami Khedira has told an anecdote about his personal preparation for the Champions League final 2014 with Real Madrid against the city’s atletico.
Khedira, who finished his career last summer, came back to at the time of just six-month break due to a cruciate ligament tear. To get at least a little competition practice before the 2014 World Cup, he asked Trainer Carlo Ancelotti still asked for some missions in the season final phase. “But he said, ‘Yes, of course, but you also have to play in the Champions League final, as Xabi Alonso is locked’,” Khedira said now in the espn -podcast the Gabs and Jul’s Show.
The former German international replied his coach: ‘Carlo, come on. I may be 60 to 70 percent. ‘ But he assured me, ‘I need you on the place.’ “
Although Khedira played at the last two league playing days, but it was not convinced of his operational capacity for the finals of the royal class – yet, among others Cristiano Ronaldo changed this attitude: “One week before the final I was after training in the shower. Cristiano came Pure and said, ‘Sami, we need you.’ I said, ‘Cristiano, I may be 60 to 70 percent. I need more time.’ He replied: ‘There’s no more time. It’s about a Champions League final. With 60 or 70 percent, you are still better than all the others. So we need you. We need your personality.’ “
Sami Khedira was in the CL final 2014 in the starting
In the final on May 24, 2014, the Real against Atletico ultimately won 4-1 after extension, Khedira actually stood in the starting elf and held around 60 minutes. “For me it was nice to stop in the square,” he recalls. “It was not my best performance, but I could accept that because I have trained only three weeks before.” I have done my best. “
The celebration on the return from the final location Lisbon to Madrid in the following night was then spectacular: “When we came back to Madrid, at 4 o’clock in the morning, it was on the Cibeles. The sun was already on and we were already Already so tired, but we did not like to celebrate with our fans. I’m home at 7 or 8 o’clock in the morning, after all the celebrations. “
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Khedira graduated from 2010 to 2015 a total of 161 competitive games for real before he moved to Juventus Turin. There, the 34-year-old later met again on Cristiano Ronaldo, the last half of his career he spent in the second half of the season 2020/21 at Hertha BSC.