The Borussia Dortmund Star’s Inspiring Commitment to Giving Back to his Father’s Roots in Nigeria
Adeyemi opens up about his trip to Africa as an 8-year-old which changed his outlook on life and the foundation meant to help those in need
Karim Adeyemi, the 22-year-old striker from Borussia Dortmund, made a lightning-fast sprint to score a goal in their 2-0 win against FC Bayern during Matchday 27, leaving fans in awe. But his impact goes beyond the pitch. Born in Munich to a Nigerian father, Adeyemi was deeply moved by the struggles he witnessed during a visit to Nigeria at the age of 8.
This experience sparked a drive within him to make a difference. Teaming up with his father, they founded a foundation aimed at improving lives and creating footballing opportunities for young people. Adeyemi admits that seeing the harsh realities of life in Nigeria keeps him grounded and fuels his determination to bring about positive change.
Adeyemi joined the Allianz FC Bayern Academy at the age of eight. After playing very successfully with various other teams in Germany and Austria, Adeyemi switched to Dortmund for the 2022-23 season. He won the prestigious Fritz-Walter Medal as the brightest U17 player in the country in 2019 and was called up to Hansi Flick’s Germany squad for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
The talented player sat for an Interview where he opened about his resolution to make sure every talented child got the opportunity they deserve. In fact, during this last international break, Karim decided to visit the village in which his father was born and set up drinking water for the residents.
Bundesliga: It was a short break for you this winter. Usually you would go on holiday, but you weren’t really on holiday this time, would you describe what you did and why?
Karim Adeyemi: Well, it was a bit of a holiday for me, but yes. I was at the foundation I set up with my father a few years ago. We looked at how things were going and yes, made a few children happy in the two days we were there, and built a well for a small village there. But of course, we also did other things for the people there. I was happy to be there, unfortunately it was only two days, but I think I’ll definitely go again this year.
Bundesliga: OK, how did the idea come about? You said you founded it together with your father. How, did that happen?
Karim Adeyemi: When I was little, I was in Nigeria with my father and I saw how people lived there. For a boy from Munich, it was different to see something like that and I told myself, I told him, relatively early on that if I make money with football, that I might want to help the people there and he remembered hat. Then he reminded me years later and said maybe we could do something about it and that’s why we set up the foundation and now have a football team for young people and want to make a bigger club and do lots of other things for the people who need it.
Bundesliga: For the team in Nigeria, what is it like? Where do they play, and how is it organized for kids there?
Karim Adeyemi: It’s actually for teenagers, not children, but we often do invite children to train on a normal football pitch and play with each other. Our football team consists of children, teenagers between 16-19 or even 20. And they play in a league. They had to start from the bottom, but they’ve already played their way up a bit. They play games there every week, train every week, and have a coach who my father knows very well and who has been training for years.
And yes, we support them with equipment, balls and shirts, and everything they need. And we recently bought them a small bus so that they can travel to away games, and they actually play in small stadiums, maybe the pitch isn’t that good, but at least it’s a football stadium, a normal pitch that we have there.
Sometimes it’s just a bit of dirt, but most of the children don’t really have it that good and actually only play on the street or don’t have football boots and that’s why we do a bit to help. We try to maybe give them a bit of what we see as normal and to give them some joy.
Bundesliga: As a footballer, how do you see the boys who play there? A lot of talent?
Karim Adeyemi: I’ve definitely seen a few players in the team where I’ve said (they have talent)… it’s also because of the pitch. I’ll be honest, it’s not always easy to play there, but I say that if a couple of lads, if they come here at a young age and train on a good pitch and play in a good environment, then they can become something. That’s definitely the case. It’s something that we could also do. Bringing people from Nigeria to Europe to give them a chance.
Bundesliga: So football is one side, but leaving a lasting legacy for the community is also important?
Karim Adeyemi: Yes, we built a water well in a small village that my father knows and built toilets for them too. It’s difficult for people now to think that they don’t have toilets, but in some villages it’s like that, maybe for a few hundred people they have a handful of toilets and that’s just a bit difficult and maybe no running water. And I have now made that possible for them. But we also help old people with food, and we also help children who may no longer have a family to spend the night somewhere. That’s what we’re doing right now. But yes, it’s mostly about helping people. So, you can put it like that, yes.
Bundesliga: Your father was born there?
Karim Adeyemi: Exactly, he was born there, and he helps the people he knows from before, the whole villages, where his mother or his father or his half-siblings, his brothers or sisters lived. In those villages, but also in villages where he doesn’t know the people, simply where people need something. We help or he helps, because he’s there more often than I am, and manages it a bit like that, and it actually works quite well, so as we saw it in the two days it was very, very nice.
Bundesliga: It sounds as though that early trip made a big impression on you?
Karim Adeyemi: I was eight or nine. In any case, I had a good time there, I did. There was a football tournament, played on a normal ground with potholes in it and you just played football like that, with goals made from shoes or jerseys. That’s how you played and yes, you had fun and that day, I’ll never forget that experience. I was the only one with a jersey and the others just played normally and it really amazed me how much fun they still had, maybe playing barefoot or not playing with such sturdy shoes or simply with flip flops. And yes, from then on I thought to myself, we have to do something.
Bundesliga: Your father, you’ve told me this before in an interview, he also played, mainly over there.
Karim Adeyemi: He always tells me that he might have been better than me, but he didn’t have the chance to get here, but I don’t believe that, and that’s what most fathers say. He told me that he was a really fast player, so I got my speed from somewhere
Bundesliga: As a Munich native, what was it like for you to be a Bayern fan as a child – or were you not because you played for other clubs?
Karim Adeyemi: I did, I can’t hide it, I played for Bayern for two years from when I was eight to ten years old. At the time I was a Bayern fan. You’re a kid and you support who you play for. And yes, I used to be a Bayern fan, now I’m a Dortmund fan. I became a fan relatively quickly over the years. But yes, what can I say, it’s always a special game for me, coming back to Munich and playing against Bayern. I used to enjoy when I played against Bayern for Unterhaching, because they are simply the best team in and that’s why you can prove yourself against them. You just look forward to this game.
Bundesliga: How has your season been? How would you summarise it so far?
Karim Adeyemi: How do I put it? Very poor, to be honest. Yeah, I can’t be satisfied by any means. I can expect a lot more from myself. I know that much more is possible, but sometimes it’s just unfortunate. Sometimes it just doesn’t work out, so I look on the bright side and tell myself that I can definitely get better now with the few goals I’ve scored in the last few games. I will definitely try to do that. I’ll try to give it my all in every game and try to help the team. The season hasn’t been good for me personally, but yes, I still have a contract here and I’m happy in Dortmund and I hope that maybe I’ll play better in the next few games now, of course, but then I’ll be in good shape from the start of the next season.
Karim Adeyemi’s story exemplifies the power of using one’s platform for positive change. From his early experiences in Nigeria to his thriving football career, Adeyemi demonstrates a remarkable dedication to making a difference in the lives of others. As he continues to excel on the pitch and expand his philanthropic endeavors, Adeyemi serves as a shining example of compassion and excellence in the world of sports.
Source: Bundesliga
