Will Sami Khedira and José Mourinho be working together again at Real Madrid soon? In any case, the Portuguese coach would like to bring his former protégé on board as an assistant.
World Cup champion Sami Khedira (77 caps, 7 goals) ended his playing career about five years ago. Now, however, he appears to be on the verge of returning to the world of soccer. According to reports from both The Athletic and AS, the 39-year-old is set to become José Mourinho’s new assistant coach at Real Madrid.
The two already know each other, having joined the Blancos in 2010—though at that time, Khedira was a player under Coach Mourinho. Together, they spent three years in the Spanish capital, winning the league title (2012) and the cup (2011), before the Portuguese star coach moved on to Chelsea FC.
A playing career marked by great successes
Meanwhile, Khedira remained with Real until 2015 and celebrated his greatest successes with the club—ironically, in the year following Mourinho’s departure: In 2014, under Carlo Ancelotti, he won the Champions League and became Club World Champion; in the same year, he also won the Copa del Rey for the second time.
From 2015 to 2021, the midfielder—who came up through the ranks at VfB Stuttgart and won the German championship with the Swabians in 2007—played for Juventus Turin, winning the league title five times with the Old Lady (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020) and three times the Cup champion (2016, 2017, 2018) with the Old Lady, before finally hanging up his boots in 2020/21 following a brief stint at Hertha BSC.
His coaching career may now also be set to begin with the Royals. According to media reports, talks have already taken place between the parties. The ball is now in Khedira’s court, as he is said to be considering the offer. In addition to his former midfielder, Mourinho wants to bring his trusted coaching staff to the Bernabéu. His assistants Joao Tralhao and Pedro Machado, analyst Roberto Merella, fitness coach Antonio Dias, and goalkeeper coach Nuno Santos are expected to follow him.
Pepe had previously been mentioned
Before Khedira, his former teammate Pepe had also been linked as an assistant to the 63-year-old, but he has denied the rumor. The Portuguese called it “speculation on social media.” However, the 43-year-old does not rule out a return to Madrid in principle, though it is not currently on the table.
