Sami Khedira

VfB Stuttgart

Before joining the youth team of VfB Stuttgart in 1995, he played at TV Oeffingen. In the first months of the 2006–07 season, he was called up into VfB's Bundesliga squad by manager Armin Veh. His debut followed on 1 October 2006 against Hertha BSC, replacing Antônio da Silva at the end of the 2–2 away draw. He scored his first two goals on 29 October in the 3–0 win against Schalke 04 at the Mercedes-Benz Arena. On 29 January 2007 he signed his first professional contract at VfB, valid until June 2009. In the last game of the season on 19 May, Khedira scored the winner as Die Schwaben came from behind to defeat Energie Cottbus 2–1 and became champions for the first time in 15 years. On 9 July 2008, he extended his contract until the summer of 2011. In the ensuing season, he scored a career-best 7 league goals in 27 games, including both in a 2–2 draw against Bayern Munich on 13 December.

Real Madrid

On 30 July 2010, Khedira moved to La Liga club Real Madrid after 98 Bundesliga appearances for an undisclosed fee, signing a contract until 2015. Khedira made his debut on 13 August in a friendly match against Bayern Munich, which Real Madrid won 4–2 on penalties for the Franz-Beckenbauer-Cup. His league debut came sixteen days later, in a 0–0 away draw against Mallorca. He made 40 appearances across his first season in Spain and won his first club honour on 20 April 2011 as his team won the Copa del Rey final against El Clásico rivals…

Youth teams and debut

Khedira has appeared 30 times for several German youth national teams; he captained the under-21 side during the 2009 European Under-21 Championship, which Germany won, defeating England 4–0 in the final. Khedira made his debut for the senior national squad on 5 September 2009 in a friendly match against South Africa. He was substituted on in the 73rd minute for Simon Rolfes.

2010 World Cup

Khedira was called up to the German squad for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa by coach Joachim Löw. Filling in for the injured Michael Ballack as a central midfielder, he played in all seven matches, and was only substituted twice, as Germany reached the semi-finals. After appearances in five friendlies prior to the World Cup, he made his first competitive appearance against Australia in Germany's first group game. On 10 July 2010, with his first senior international goal, he scored Germany's 16th and last goal of the tournament, in the third place match against Uruguay; Khedira's match-winning header, which came eight minutes from time, ensured the final 3–2 scoreline, and won the young German team the bronze medal.

Euro 2012

Khedira was in the starting lineup in eight qualification matches for Euro 2012, helping Germany top their qualifying group with a record ten wins out of ten matches. During the final tournament, he featured in every minute of their run to the semi-finals, scoring in the 4–2 quarter-final win over Greece at the…

Khedira 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 with his heading accuracy and powerful mid-range shooting. A physically strong, energetic, and tactically intelligent player, he is also known for his ball-winning abilities, work-rate, and vision, as well as his solid technique and reliable passing, which allow him to play anywhere in midfield; although usually a central midfielder, he has also been deployed as a defensive midfielder, as a box-to-box midfielder, or even in a more offensive role as a mezzala, due to his stamina, movement (both on and off the ball), positional sense, and versatility, which also enable him to create space or contribute to his team's offensive plays with goals, due to his ability to make late runs into the penalty area from behind. Jonathan Wilson, when writing for The Guardian in 2013, described Khedira as a "destroyer with carrying tendencies," namely a holding midfielder who is predominantly tasked with running, winning back possession, and distributing the ball to other players, but who is also "capable of making late runs or carrying the ball at his feet." In spite of his playing ability, however, Khedira is also known to be injury-prone. His playing role and style have been likened to that of compatriot Torsten Frings.

In July 2026, Khedira joined the coaching staff of his former coach, José Mourinho, at Real Madrid as an assistant coach.