Germany international Khedira and his side take on Madrid in the Champions League final in Cardiff on Saturday.

He won the trophy with Madrid in 2014 but played only a fringe role for them the following season before moving to Juve on a free transfer.

The 30-year-old, who has become a mainstay for the Italian champions, moved at a time when some German pundits said he was in decline.

But he told kicker: "I knew I could return to my highest level once I found my rhythm, and I definitely found it this year.

"I have had more minutes than in any other season of my professional career."

Khedira said of his critics at the time of the move: "You should never judge people you don't know.

"I knew back then that I was coming out of a difficult time. But only a few know what happened behind the scenes [at Madrid] and how that led to me not getting a lot of playing time at the end."