Very few footballers born outside Nigeria can claim to have a stronger connection to the West African nation than Karim Adeyemi. The Borussia Dortmund forward was born in Munich, Germany, to a Nigerian father and a Romanian mother.
Although it wasn’t until his 10th birthday before he visited the country of his father for the first time, Adeyemi has grown to become very fond of Nigeria and has built a strong connection with its people.
He frequently visits Nigeria, is never shy to be associated with the country and recently had a Nigerian flag inscribed on his socks ahead of Dortmund’s Bundesliga game against rivals Bayern Munich.
Interestingly, despite the fact that the 22-year-old also has Romanian blood flowing through veins, he rarely talks about his mother’s country in the same light as he does Nigeria.
Karim Adeyemi has strong ties to his Nigerian roots
Adeyemi’s connection to Nigeria has grown stronger with each passing year. During the Bundesliga’s most recent winter break, the young forward visited Nigeria to undertake some philanthropic work with his foundation.
The former RB Salzburg winger has set a target of providing education to a thousand students and training 5,000 professional footballers in Oyo State by 2030. While in Nigeria for the winter break, Adeyemi commissioned a water borehole in Odo Osun, which is set to serve over 20,000 people in the community.
Earlier in April, his foundation commemorated the United Nations’ International Day of Sports for Development and Peace by organising an Essay Competition for secondary school students in Oyo State.
In a post on Instagram afterwards, Adeyemi said he resolved to help uplift the people of Nigeria after visiting the country with his father when he was young. He wrote: “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.”
Karim Adeyemi will play in the UEFA Champions League final
Adeyemi played a huge part in Borussia Dortmund's impressive Champions League campaign, as he started both legs of their semi-final victory over Paris Saint-Germain.
In Europe's biggest football club competition, the 22-year-old has seven starts and 11 appearances to his name this season, with two goals and an assist.
Karim Adeyemi left out of Germany’s Euro 2024 squad
Meanwhile, Adeyemi will not feature at the 2024 European Championships after being left out of Germany’s preliminary squad. Die Mannschaft head coach Julian Nagelsmann named a provisional 27-man squad for the tournament on Thursday without the 22-year-old.
Adeyemi has not played for Germany in nearly three years but was thought to have a good chance of making the Euros squad following his impressive form at Borussia Dortmund this season. The winger has been a key player for Edin Terzic’s side in their run to the final of the UEFA Champions League.
However, it appears Adeyemi’s paltry numbers in front of goal have hindered his chances of playing in this summer’s Euros. Despite making 32 appearances in all competitions for Dortmund this term, Adeyemi has accounted for just five goals and two assists.
Germany coach Nagelsmann has, therefore, opted for forwards with more productive returns, with Arsenal’s Kai Havertz, Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz and Bayern Munich’s Leroy Sane included in the squad for the Euros.
Karim Adeyemi eligible to play for Super Eagles?
Meanwhile, Adeyemi’s fondness for Nigeria has sparked conversations over whether he is still eligible to play for the Super Eagles. The Dortmund star has played for Germany all his life, having represented the country at U16, U17 and U21 levels.
He was handed his senior debut in 2021 when he came on as a substitute in a 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Armenia and scored as Germany recorded an emphatic 6-0 victory. Adeyemi has since made three more appearances for Die Mannschaft – two in the World Cup qualifiers and one more in the UEFA Nations League, which makes him ineligible to play for Nigeria.
The 22-year-old was also part of Germany’s squad for the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup, although he didn’t make any appearances. Per FIFA’s updated eligibility rules, a player who has already been capped by a country can still switch nationality to play for another nation, provided they haven’t played more than three competitive senior games before the age of 21.
The fact that Adeyemi has already featured four times for Germany rules him out of being eligible to represent Nigeria. His decision to play for Germany might be cast in stone, but Adeyemi does not relish facing the Super Eagles in any international encounter.
“To be honest, no, because somebody has to lose. I will hope not to play against them because I want Nigeria to have a good journey,” he told Bundesliga.com.
Adeyemi has been one of Dortmund’s bright spots this season, having contributed five goals and two assists in 25 matches this season.
