Karim Adeyemi: Who is Borussia Dortmund and Germany's king of speed?
Faster than a time machine travelling back to the future, Borussia Dortmund forward Karim Adeyemi is rarely, if ever, beaten in a foot race. But what else is there to know about the 22-year-old wonderkid blazing a trail across the continent?
bundesliga.com takes a look at Dortmund's young Germany international who is currently the toast of Signal Iduna Park ...
Karim Adeyemi
Age: 22 (born 18 January 2002)
Club: Borussia Dortmund
Position: Forward
Country: Germany (four caps/ one goal)
Key stats
Adeyemi was born in Munich and, following two years at first club TSV Forstenried, he was snapped up by Bayern Munich for their academy at just eight-years-old in 2010. Things didn't quite work out for Adeyemi at the FC Bayern Campus, however, and he made the move to SpVgg Unterhaching, a suburb in the south of Munich, two years later. He registered 20 goals in 28 appearances in the Unterhaching youth sides before Red Bull Salzburg came calling in the summer of 2018. Adeyemi was immediately loaned to Salzburg sister club Liefering in the second-tier, where he posted 15 goals and 12 assists in 35 appearances across three spells at the Untersberg-Arena.
After receiving Germany's prestigious Fritz-Walter Medal as the brightest U17 player in the country in 2019, a prize previously won at the same age by the likes of Timo Werner, Leon Goretzka, Emre Can and Mario Götze, among others, he began making an impact in the Salzburg first team. Adeyemi contributed one goal and four assists from 12 senior outings in 2019/20 and followed that up with nine goals and 12 assists from 42 appearances in 2020/21, serving notice of his gifts as one of the continent's brightest up-and-coming forwards.
The Munich native continued to improve in 2021/22, when he chipped in with 23 goals and nine assists in 44 games in all competitions, including three and two respectively in eight UEFA Champions League appearances.
Following his switch to Dortmund for the 2022/23 campaign, Adeyemi burst out of the blocks on his Bundesliga debut. Providing the assist for Marco Reus's winner on Matchday 1 should have led to a day of celebration for the youngster, however, his German top-flight bow was cut short by a toe injury in the 23rd minute.
Watch: Karim Adeyemi named Rookie of the Season 2022/23
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He was flying again by September and received a call up to Hansi Flick's Germany squad for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Now a key member of the Black-and-Yellows' set-up, Adeyemi's pace, close control and focus were encapsulated in his fifth of nine goals for the team in the 2022/23 season, which was the winner against Chelsea in a 1-0 Champions League round of 16 first leg tie at Signal Iduna Park. His other strikes helped Dortmund mount an impressive title challenge, and although they fell short by a point on the final day of the season he was named the league's Rookie of the Season.
Adeyemi would again prove crucial in the following campaign, adding five more goals to make it 14 in 66 games. Two of those were crucially in the Champions League, helping BVB top their 'Group of Death' with efforts against AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germian, before heading to their third-ever final where they were beaten by Real Madrid.
Among his many achievements, one of Adeyemi's most fascinating is that he's been recorded as the fastest Bundesliga player since records began. No one has managed to beat his top speed of 22.77 mph (36.65 km/h) that he recorded in February 2022.
Plays a bit like: Mohamed Salah
Adeyemi may not be as prolific as Liverpool's Egypitian King, but neither was Salah at 22. Both goalscoring left-footers who make magic happen from out wide, there are plenty of similarities.
Both are anti-Lionel Messis when it comes to their dribbling style, using a high centre of gravity to trick defenders at speed. If they're not successful with a piece of skill, they tend to win a free kick in a dangerous area. Adeyemi prefers to start off the left to Salah's right, but there are signs that when it comes to entering the opponent's box, BVB's frontman could get even better.
Did you know?
Adeyemi has used his time out of football to conduct charity work in his father's native country of Nigeria. The Karim Adeyemi Foundation aims to provide education to 1,000 students and train 5,000 professional footballers by 2030.
Discussing the project, the Munich-born star said: "At the age of ten, I visited my father’s hometown, Ibadan in Nigeria, for the first time. The connection to the country and its vibrant culture was immediate, and one of my fondest memories was spending time with my extended family, relishing the joy of playing football on the bustling streets of Ibadan. It was during those formative years that I made a solemn promise to my father: I wanted to contribute and uplift the people of Nigeria.”
What they’re saying
"He’s getting better and better. He brings a lot to the table – if he keeps using that, he’s very important.” - Former BVB coach Edin Terzić
"They give me goosebumps every time; it was incredible with these fans today." - Adeyemi on celebrating his winner against Chelsea in front of BVB's supporters
"Karim has shown he can be ice-cold in front of goal and that he plays with lots of self-confidence. He's still got lots of work to do, but he does his thing very well." - Former Germany coach Hansi Flick
"I'm happy about my debut - with one goal straight away, that makes it all the more beautiful." - Adeyemi after his goalscoring debut for Germany
"Karim has almost everything a striker needs. His quality and speed are incredible. - Red Bull Salzburg coach Matthias Jaissle
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