A victorious captain for Germany at Under-21 level in 2009, Sami Khedira proved his worth with the seniors at the following year's FIFA World Cup in South Africa, which helped him secure a move from VfB Stuttgart to Real Madrid CF. A reliable defensive midfielder, his energy and application are second to none.

• Born in Stuttgart to a German mother and Tunisian father, Khedira made his Bundesliga debut for his home-town club in October 2006 and scored his first two goals later that month in a 3-0 defeat of FC Schalke 04; ended his first season as a title winner, heading the decisive goal in a last-day home win against FC Energie Cottbus.

• Skippered Germany to the 2009 European U21 title in Sweden, starting four matches; scored a hat-trick against Luxembourg in qualifying.

• Scored a career-best seven Bundesliga goals in 2008/09, including both in a 2-2 home draw with FC Bayern München; no goals in 2009/10 until the last game before the winter break – a 3-1 home win versus TSG 1899 Hoffenheim.

• Started all seven matches for Germany at the 2010 FIFA World Cup as the replacement for injured skipper Michael Ballack; ended a fine tournament by scoring his first international goal, in a 3-2 defeat of Uruguay in the third-place play-off.

• Joined Madrid in July 2010 for a reported €12m and won the Liga title in his second season, when he scored in a 2-1 victory against FC Barcelona at the Camp Nou.

UEFA honours
UEFA European Under-21 Championship: winner 2009