Karim Adeyemi (Munich, 2002) is already starting to feel like an FC Barcelona player. The 24-year-old German forward speaks to La Vanguardia at St George’s Park one week after signing a five-year contract with the blaugrana club. Charismatic and quiet, he faces his first days as a blaugrana with the excitement of someone who wants to make the most of an opportunity that, to a large extent, bears the mark of Hansi Flick. His new teammates highlight his quick adaptation to the locker room and he, far from hiding behind clichés, presents himself as a player with a strong personality, creative, proud of his roots, and with a very particular way of understanding football and life. Adeyemi, who insists he can play in all three attacking positions, does not hesitate to define Barça as “the greatest club in the world” and promises to repay the trust placed in him on the pitch.
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What is your assessment of these first days as an FC Barcelona player?
The first impressions are very good. We have already had the first training sessions. I think we have had very good sessions, both here and in Barcelona. There is a lot of quality and I am very happy to be here.
Do you already speak Spanish?
No, the truth is I don’t… But I am learning. I will definitely speak it, I am good with languages. And I will also get to know the culture a bit more.
And will you perhaps learn Catalan?
I asked some players and some physiotherapists what I should learn, Spanish or Catalan, and they all told me Spanish. But I think I will do a bit of both.
Have you been able to visit Barcelona?
Very quickly. I haven’t been able to see much yet. I have been looking for a house and taking care of all family matters. Once I am settled, I will be able to get to know the city better.
They must have told you there are good beaches…
Yes, very good ones. I have been once, and it was very nice.
Which beach?
Castelldefels. It’s a very nice place to live as well.
I will never be able to thank Flick enough for everything he has done for me”
Karim Adeyemi
Let’s talk about Hansi Flick. What has he meant for your career?
I think it’s easy to explain. The first time he did me a big favor was with the national team. He took me even before I was a starter at Dortmund. I had been there six months and yet he took me to the World Cup. That made me very happy and since then, I have had a very good relationship with him.
And now he called you to join Barcelona…
Now I think he has done something even more important: he has brought me to the greatest club in the world. I will never be able to thank him enough. I am very happy for this opportunity, for being here, and also for the trust Hansi has placed in me. I am sure I will repay it on the pitch. Not only to Hansi, but also to the team and the city.
What can Flick bring out of you that you haven’t shown yet?
I think a lot. He always talks about the potential I have. I don’t like to talk about potential because potential means it’s not there yet. But I am quite sure, or at least I hope, that I will be able to show the fans and also the coaches what I can do on the pitch.
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One thing that doesn’t need boosting is your speed. They call you the Usain Bolt of football. Do you think you can still get more out of that virtue in this team?
Of course. We have incredible players who can put the ball anywhere. But obviously, speed is one of the things I do really well and I am very happy about that. Although in the end, there are many more things to do on the pitch. I will try to learn as much as possible from all the players. I just want to help the team.
Do you train speed specifically?
No, I don’t. It was just there, it’s a gift. And when you receive a gift, in the end you have to try to make the most of it.
Speed is not trained, it’s a gift and I want to make the most of it”
Karim Adeyemi
You said in your presentation that your idols are Messi and Ronaldinho…
For me, Messi is the best. He is incredible, I think he is unique. And Ronaldinho, I think he was simply a player who had his own way of thinking and playing. He did his thing: he went on the field and played as if he was playing street football. I think he brought a bit of that street football to professional football and that is really amazing. Messi and Ronaldinho are unique. They can’t be compared to anyone.
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Messi is the best. And Ronaldinho brought that street football to the professional field”
Karim Adeyemi
And what do you think of Lamine Yamal?
Right now he is one of the best wingers. I think he also has a very characteristic way of playing. He doesn’t think too much, he just plays and enjoys. I like players like that.
Can you play together? Because you both play on the right wing…
Of course we can. And I hope so. Lamine can dribble, but he can also pass very well to players like me or other teammates. I am really looking forward to playing with him and the rest.
He just plays and enjoys. I like his style. I look forward to us playing together”
Karim Adeyemi
Have they already told you how the clasicos are experienced?
Of course. Barça and Madrid are the two best teams in Spain and I think the clásico is a huge match that attracts everyone and is very important. But in the end, we have to win every match. And when the clásico comes, we also want to win it. It will surely be a great match.
How would you describe Karim Adeyemi on and off the field?
I would say that on the field, I am free-minded, I just go with the flow. And I am creative. Maybe something special, but simple. And off the field, I think I am pretty much the same, to be honest. Sometimes people say I am weird.
Weird?
I am simple, I have my own way of thinking and maybe sometimes to some people I can seem weird. But yes, I am a simple and normal guy, really.
I am simple and creative. I go with the flow of feelings”
You have Nigerian roots on your father’s side and Romanian on your mother’s. How have these two cultures influenced your personality?
When I was little, I went very often to Romania, so it is a country that had a great influence on my childhood. And now, as an adult, I go a lot to Nigeria. It is very important for me to know my roots, of course, because thanks to these two countries I have learned and grown a lot. Yes, maybe it’s a bit of a crazy mix, but in the end, that’s what I am. I am very happy to come from these two countries.
Maybe that’s why people say you are weird? Because of the mix?
We can say it’s a good but a bit strange mix, but they don’t say it because of that. It’s because sometimes I like to abstract myself from things and daydream.
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You say that now as an adult, you travel a lot to Nigeria…
In 2010 I went there for the first time. At that time in Germany, where I was born, we had a good life, it was fine. But I saw how people lived in Nigeria and it hurt my heart a bit to see it. So I told my father that someday, when I became a professional, I wanted to help people. And that is what we are doing now with my foundation, which is focused on youth development and social impact in Nigeria. We are really proud and happy with everything we are doing there.
I went to Nigeria in 2010. It hurt my heart. I told my father that someday, when I became a professional, I wanted to help people”
Karim Adeyemi
You are also famous for your tattoos…
I don’t have that many. I have four (laughs).
For many people that might be a lot… Do you have any in mind? Maybe if you win the Champions League with Barça?
For the Champions… I don’t know. To be honest, our goal is, of course, to win everything and I will be very happy if we achieve it. It takes a lot of work to win everything and maybe after that, I can think about getting something. But right now, I have no plans to get more tattoos.
