Real Madrid: German Starlets Oezil and Khedira Join Galacticos

Teutonic Teens Join Mourinho in Madrid

Undoubtedly, two of the top performers on a German team which performed very well in the World Cup were Mesut Oezil and Sami Khedira.

Real promptly brought them both to the Bernabau for surprisingly small fees. Both were nearing the ends of their respective contracts, and in these players, Madrid have two fantastic additions to their star studded midfield.

The main worry which German supporters will now have, is that Real might stunt the growth of these two players as they have done to players before, so soon after Germany's international hopes have been pinned to them.

If these two players break into the Real team, they will undoubtedly be better players for it, playing week-in-week-out with some of the best in the world. If they do not, they may suffer like another recent German Madrid player, one Christophe Metzelder, who spent his prime years at Madrid and has seen his stock fall dramatically since.

The competition for places at Real is possibly the fiercest in the world and there are always unhappy players. It is a club where a slip can cost a player dear, not only in the eyes of the vociferous fans, but career-wise too. Once again, just ask Metzelder.

Some will say that Metzelder simply didn't make the cut, and that this is simply "Sporting Darwinism" (i.e. the strongest of the fittest). There may well be something in this, but it will not ease the mind of the worried German fan.

These two young players are used to being first on the team sheet at their Bundesliga clubs, but at Real they will have to contend with the likes of Alonso, Diarra, Van Der Vaart and Kaka for starting spots. 

A key worry will be their age as both are used to playing every minute every week at their German clubs where youth is promoted so admirably. It remains to be seen whether they start for Madrid, and their mentality if they do not.

One thing all football fans can agree on is it will be a great shame if two such prodigious talents and prospects are chewed up and thrown onto the Real Madrid scrapheap as has happened to players in the past.   

Ultimately, this move could mean that these two players advance even quicker as footballers, and it seems likely that the fact they are both German means the settling in period will be easier for the two of them. This could make them even more valuable to the German national team and could be a route to a captains armband one day. Furthermore, both can add to the Madrid squad and cement themselves as invaluable in the team, and perhaps aid Madrid in shattering Barcelona's recent league dominance. 

It might also mean total stagnation or regression as a player, and to my mind, both players might have benefited from another year or two in the Bundesliga; however, if the players can perform to their obvious potential, then maybe my timidness will be shown to be unnecessary.