We were on set at St George's Park last month as Sami Khedira visited the Nike Academy to talk about his road back from injury to the top of the game.
After injury heartbreak nearly cost him his place in Brazil, Sami fought back to lift the Champions League and the World Cup. An inspirational figure on and off the pitch his visit to the Nike Academy helped him on his return to first team football and gave the Academy boys an insight into life at the very top of the game. (If your German is a bit sketchy turn the subtitles on)
After an intense session in the East Staffordshire wind and rain Sami spoke to us about his day with the Nike Academy and how it compares to his professional training. "Training here is quite similar to the training of the national team, it was great fun and I really enjoyed it. These players and coaches are very motivated, they set themselves high targets and I hope I was able to contribute something to that motivation."
Sami used the session as part of his own rehabilitation from injury and was happy to get back out on the pitch after another lengthy lay-off. "It was a great experience for me too, I was impressed to see how hard they worked and it's always great to see youth get given the chance and the help they need to get pro-contracts. That's also the reason why I'm here today, I want to support this academy because it's a great set up, great training, great guys."
Battling back from injury to win UCL & World Cup medals isn't a bad years work. What are your experiences with dealing with injuries? Let us know, drop your comments downstairs.
Further reading:
A Day in the Life of the Nike Academy
Nike Most Wanted UK Trials
