p>Toni Kroos or Sami Khedira. Real Madrid or Juventus? Tonight one of those two world champions will collect the big club crown in European football, the UEFA Champions League trophy in Cardiff. It will be the first time that two German internationals have faced off in the final of the Champions league competing for non-German clubs. Kroos could become the first German to win the trophy three times while success for Khedira would be his second. We run down all the vital facts and figures between the two:
Chasing records: Toni Kroos could become the German since the start of the Champions League to lift the cup three times and his team Real Madrid could become the first to defend the competition on Saturday night. Kroos won the trophy in 2013 with FC Bayern against Dortmund and then in 2016 with Real Madrid (5-3 on penalties against Atletico). Khedira’s sole triumph came in 2014 with Real Madrid.
German duel: Never before in the history of the Champions League have two german’s faced off against each other from non-German clubs. In the European Cup it only happened once in 36 years. In 1973 Ajax Amsterdam and Blankenburg beatn Helmut Hallers’s Juventus 1-0.
Ball-playing Kroos: Nobody has played more passes in this years’s competition than Toni Kroos. Since the 27-year-old transferred to Real Madrid in 2014/15 he has been the best passer of the ball in the Champions League, with the ball reaching its intended target 93.5% of the time. In the Quarter-final first leg against Bayern Munich 77 of Kroos’ 79 passes found their mark - record number in one game for the season.
Passes, goals and ball possession: The two have been compared to one another a lot in the run up to the season’s showpiece. Kroos has a pass completion rate of 93.5% so far in 2016/17, while Khedira has 86%, but Khedira has averaged more touches per game (91 vs. 62) and of the three goals scored between the two, none have gone to Khedira. Kroos also wins more tackles (61% t0 48%), though Khedira has had more shots on goal (12 to 9) .
Overall head-to-head: In 76 Champions League games for Bayern and Madrid Kroos has scored seven goals and assisted 20 goals. Khedira has played 59 games for Madrid and Juventus, scoring one goal and setting up six.
Milestone win: Kroos stands to win his 50th Champions League win and at the age of 27 years and 150 days he would be the fourth youngest player to reach that mark after Thomas Müller, Raul and Lionel Messi. Those also with 50 wins include Philipp Lahm, Manuel Neuer, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Oliver Kahn.
Direct battle: Until now Kroos and Khedira have faced off on four ocassions. The Champions League semi-final between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich saw the pair meet over two legs, with Bayern prevailing on penalties in the Bernebeu. There have been two meeting in the Bundesliga and Khedira has one both. 3-1 with VfB Stuttgart versus Bayern (in a game where Kroos made his debut) in 2007 and in 2010 Khedira’s Stuttgart beat Kroos’ Leverkusen 2-1.
Shared highlights: Kroos and Khedira celebrated the highest point of their respective careers thus far together. Both were staples of the Germany team that became World Champions in 2014, both getting on the scoresheet in the extraordinary 7-1 semi final triumph over Brazil. Khedira was unable to feature in the final against Argentina due to an injury in the warm-up, while Kroos played the full 120 minutes.
Well-trodden path in the final: Since the competition became the Champions League in the 1992/93 season, Germany has not been short of representatives in finals at non-German sides. Rudi Völler was there with Olympique Marseille in 1993, as well as Bodo Illgner in 1998 with Real Madrid, Dietmar Hamann in 2005 with Liverpool, Michael Ballack in 2008 with Chelsea and Marc-André ter Stegen in 2015 with Barcelona – but Khedira and Kroos would be the first to do so twice if they appear this year, Khedira having featured in the 2014 final and Kroos in 2016 both as Real Madrid players, although never winning it together at the club.
In the European Cup era, Horst Blankenburg was part of the Ajax Amsterdam team that completed three consecutive victories from 1971 to 1973, following Karl-Heinz Schneillinger’s initial success as the first German to win the trophy with a non-German club with AC Milan in 1969. Helmut Haller was on the losing side in 1973 with Juventus, and Uli Stielike suffered the same fate in 1981 for Real Madrid, as did Bernd Schuster and Barcelona in 1986.
Successful footsteps: A win for either Kroos or Khedira marks the fourth consecutive year of at least one German player lifting the trophy – a feat so far unmatched, even in the European Cup days.
German mark on the competition: 2017 is set to be the sixth consecutive final featuring at least one German player on either side: the longest run since the competition’s formation in 1992.
Winners with Real: Both Kroos and Khedira have won the competition as Real Madrid players. Khedira got his title just before the 2014 World Cup win, playing the first 45 minutes in the 4-1 win over Atletico Madrid. Kroos was present for their next victory, last season again against their local rivals, a 5-3 penalty shootout win after the scores ended 1-1 after 120 minutes.
Follow the Schnellinger road: With a win as a Juventus player, Sami Khedira could achieve what Jürgen Klinsmann, Völler and Andreas Brehmer could not, and win the Champions League with an Italian club. Schneillinger’s 1969 win with AC Milan leaves him as the sole German to win the competition in either of its forms while playing for an Italian side. Juventus’ last overall tournament win was 31 years ago.
Reaction: Khedira is fit again following a muscle injury. In his own words, he stated that he is “glad” at being able to play and “get back to top performance level.” He added “we are going into the game on a level footing and we have a real chance.” From the other side, Kroos knows to expect a “tough match against a team who are very difficult to break down,” but remains hopeful: “we have to find solutions to get past their defence.” Khedira and Kroos will go directly against one another in the centre of the park, with Kroos admitting it is “not impossible that our paths will cross”. Kroos continued to state his “delight” that Khedira has already sealed two trophies so far this season, and stating that “were his opponents anyone else, I would be willing him on to complete the treble.” Ahead of the match, Real Madrid head coach Zinedine Zidane was highly complimentary of his midfield maestro. “Toni is an extraordinary player. He is a two-footed player and an unbelievably intelligent player. Having a player like him naturally makes everything far easier.”
p>Toni Kroos or Sami Khedira. Real Madrid or Juventus? Tonight one of those two world champions will collect the big club crown in European football, the UEFA Champions League trophy in Cardiff. It will be the first time that two German internationals have faced off in the final of the Champions league competing for non-German clubs. Kroos could become the first German to win the trophy three times while success for Khedira would be his second. We run down all the vital facts and figures between the two:
Chasing records: Toni Kroos could become the German since the start of the Champions League to lift the cup three times and his team Real Madrid could become the first to defend the competition on Saturday night. Kroos won the trophy in 2013 with FC Bayern against Dortmund and then in 2016 with Real Madrid (5-3 on penalties against Atletico). Khedira’s sole triumph came in 2014 with Real Madrid.
German duel: Never before in the history of the Champions League have two german’s faced off against each other from non-German clubs. In the European Cup it only happened once in 36 years. In 1973 Ajax Amsterdam and Blankenburg beatn Helmut Hallers’s Juventus 1-0.
Ball-playing Kroos: Nobody has played more passes in this years’s competition than Toni Kroos. Since the 27-year-old transferred to Real Madrid in 2014/15 he has been the best passer of the ball in the Champions League, with the ball reaching its intended target 93.5% of the time. In the Quarter-final first leg against Bayern Munich 77 of Kroos’ 79 passes found their mark - record number in one game for the season.
Passes, goals and ball possession: The two have been compared to one another a lot in the run up to the season’s showpiece. Kroos has a pass completion rate of 93.5% so far in 2016/17, while Khedira has 86%, but Khedira has averaged more touches per game (91 vs. 62) and of the three goals scored between the two, none have gone to Khedira. Kroos also wins more tackles (61% t0 48%), though Khedira has had more shots on goal (12 to 9) .
Overall head-to-head: In 76 Champions League games for Bayern and Madrid Kroos has scored seven goals and assisted 20 goals. Khedira has played 59 games for Madrid and Juventus, scoring one goal and setting up six.
Milestone win: Kroos stands to win his 50th Champions League win and at the age of 27 years and 150 days he would be the fourth youngest player to reach that mark after Thomas Müller, Raul and Lionel Messi. Those also with 50 wins include Philipp Lahm, Manuel Neuer, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Oliver Kahn.
Direct battle: Until now Kroos and Khedira have faced off on four ocassions. The Champions League semi-final between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich saw the pair meet over two legs, with Bayern prevailing on penalties in the Bernebeu. There have been two meeting in the Bundesliga and Khedira has one both. 3-1 with VfB Stuttgart versus Bayern (in a game where Kroos made his debut) in 2007 and in 2010 Khedira’s Stuttgart beat Kroos’ Leverkusen 2-1.
Shared highlights: Kroos and Khedira celebrated the highest point of their respective careers thus far together. Both were staples of the Germany team that became World Champions in 2014, both getting on the scoresheet in the extraordinary 7-1 semi final triumph over Brazil. Khedira was unable to feature in the final against Argentina due to an injury in the warm-up, while Kroos played the full 120 minutes.
Well-trodden path in the final: Since the competition became the Champions League in the 1992/93 season, Germany has not been short of representatives in finals at non-German sides. Rudi Völler was there with Olympique Marseille in 1993, as well as Bodo Illgner in 1998 with Real Madrid, Dietmar Hamann in 2005 with Liverpool, Michael Ballack in 2008 with Chelsea and Marc-André ter Stegen in 2015 with Barcelona – but Khedira and Kroos would be the first to do so twice if they appear this year, Khedira having featured in the 2014 final and Kroos in 2016 both as Real Madrid players, although never winning it together at the club.
In the European Cup era, Horst Blankenburg was part of the Ajax Amsterdam team that completed three consecutive victories from 1971 to 1973, following Karl-Heinz Schneillinger’s initial success as the first German to win the trophy with a non-German club with AC Milan in 1969. Helmut Haller was on the losing side in 1973 with Juventus, and Uli Stielike suffered the same fate in 1981 for Real Madrid, as did Bernd Schuster and Barcelona in 1986.
Successful footsteps: A win for either Kroos or Khedira marks the fourth consecutive year of at least one German player lifting the trophy – a feat so far unmatched, even in the European Cup days.
German mark on the competition: 2017 is set to be the sixth consecutive final featuring at least one German player on either side: the longest run since the competition’s formation in 1992.
Winners with Real: Both Kroos and Khedira have won the competition as Real Madrid players. Khedira got his title just before the 2014 World Cup win, playing the first 45 minutes in the 4-1 win over Atletico Madrid. Kroos was present for their next victory, last season again against their local rivals, a 5-3 penalty shootout win after the scores ended 1-1 after 120 minutes.
Follow the Schnellinger road: With a win as a Juventus player, Sami Khedira could achieve what Jürgen Klinsmann, Völler and Andreas Brehmer could not, and win the Champions League with an Italian club. Schneillinger’s 1969 win with AC Milan leaves him as the sole German to win the competition in either of its forms while playing for an Italian side. Juventus’ last overall tournament win was 31 years ago.
Reaction: Khedira is fit again following a muscle injury. In his own words, he stated that he is “glad” at being able to play and “get back to top performance level.” He added “we are going into the game on a level footing and we have a real chance.” From the other side, Kroos knows to expect a “tough match against a team who are very difficult to break down,” but remains hopeful: “we have to find solutions to get past their defence.” Khedira and Kroos will go directly against one another in the centre of the park, with Kroos admitting it is “not impossible that our paths will cross”. Kroos continued to state his “delight” that Khedira has already sealed two trophies so far this season, and stating that “were his opponents anyone else, I would be willing him on to complete the treble.” Ahead of the match, Real Madrid head coach Zinedine Zidane was highly complimentary of his midfield maestro. “Toni is an extraordinary player. He is a two-footed player and an unbelievably intelligent player. Having a player like him naturally makes everything far easier.”
