Sami Khedira is back at Real Madrid as part of José Mourinho's backroom staff, chosen to serve as a link between the manager and the players by drawing on his knowledge of the club and its standards.
According to "The Athletic", Mourinho asked Real Madrid's board for a figure with charisma and a strong presence in the dressing room. The request followed a slump in squad harmony last season that boiled over into a row between Aurélien Tchouaméni and Federico Valverde before the Clásico against Barcelona in May.
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Khedira, 39, played 161 matches for Real Madrid across five years and won seven titles, including the Spanish league, the 2013-2014 Champions League and the Copa del Rey twice.
A mainstay during Mourinho's three seasons, he won over the Portuguese with his strong personality and his will to win. His composure stood out too, along with his ability to organise the team and an early interest in match analysis and reports on opponents.
This marks Khedira's first coaching experience, though he already holds a coaching licence. Back in 2024 he had said he leaned more towards administrative work and long-term strategy, but sources close to him say the pull of Mourinho and Real Madrid meant he "could not say no". He did not need to think it over.
His role at Real
Khedira helps organise training and develop sessions alongside João Tralhão and Pedro Machado, while also focusing on group dynamics and raising standards within the team.
The players hold the former Germany international in high regard. One Real player told "The Athletic" that Mourinho leads the sessions to a greater extent, but Khedira "prepares a lot of things and gives his opinion". Other sources describe him as an "adviser" to the team, noting that "when he needs to show his personality, he does so".
His fitness lets him join in training now and then. Some players joke that he could still do a job on the pitch.
Few know the scale of the pressure at Real Madrid better than Khedira. He said in 2017 that the board valued him and treated him fairly, but the fans did not give him the same appreciation. Ten good matches were the expectation, he explained, whereas a single poor one was enough to raise doubts about his ability to play for the Spanish giants.
"A great addition"
Mourinho called Khedira "a great addition" to his staff at his press conference on 21 August. He said the German makes a good link with the players because he knows the club and its mentality and has "the relationship an assistant needs with the players".
Work in Madrid began at the start of July, after Khedira had been in North America during the 2026 World Cup on an official assignment with FIFA. Mourinho revealed Khedira told him during the tournament he was ready to start in Madrid the next day if needed.
The role is nothing new at the Bernabéu. Mourinho introduced it in 2010, bringing in the former defender Aitor Karanka, and the tradition continued under Carlo Ancelotti, who brought in Zinedine Zidane and then Fernando Hierro.
After leaving Real Madrid, Khedira played five and a half seasons with Juventus and ended his career with Hertha Berlin at the close of the 2020-2021 campaign, then worked as an analyst and pundit in Germany. Throughout that period he stayed in touch with Mourinho and kept showing his love for Real Madrid and his former manager.
Now, after the 2026 World Cup, the pair are working together once again.
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