Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea are all represented in Hansi Flick’s Germany squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Romania and North Macedonia. But one young player, who has just made his debut for the first team, will surely catch the attention of many onlookers.
His name is Karim Adeyemi, he is 19 years old, he plays for Austrian Bundesliga side Red Bull Salzburg, and he could be the next big talent to come out of German football.
Who is Karim Adeyemi?
Adeyemi was born in Munich to a Nigerian father, an ex-footballer, and a Romanian mother. As a Black child, Adeyemi wasn’t a stranger to racism.
“I was confronted with racism quite often as a child. My mother suffered from it the most. Maybe these experiences were what made me stronger,” he told Austrian outlet Der Standard. “It shouldn’t be a thing anymore.”
After starting playing for the youth teams at TSV Forstenried, the club in the Munich quarter where he grew up, the forward was scouted by Bayern Munich. At 8, Adeyemi joined the Bundesliga champions’ youth setup, wanting to follow the footsteps of his idol, Arjen Robben.
Arjen Robben is Karim Adeyemi’s idol.
“His dribbling, his finish — I’ve always wanted to be like Robben,” the attacker told Goal.com.
Rejected Chelsea, moved to Austria
The young German failed to impress and left after two years at the Bayern Campus. He joined another local club, SpVgg Unterhaching, from the outskirts of Munich, after being scouted at an indoor football tournament. It was at Unterhaching where the attacker started flourishing. Despite triggering interest from the likes of Chelsea, the attacker decided to stay put.
When he was 16, Red Bull Salzburg came knocking.
“The most important thing for my parents was that I’d join a team which has a concrete plan regarding my future,” he said. “At Salzburg, this was definitely the case.”
The Red Bull-backed Austrian club, which is located less than two hours away from Adeyemi’s hometown of Munich, then signed the attacker for a reported €3.3 million.
After a short loan spell at FC Liefering, one of the several farm clubs in the much-criticized Red Bull network, Adeyemi returned to Salzburg, making his debut for the first team against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League at the age of 17.
Karim Adeyemi has been impressing in the Austrian Bundesliga.
Adeyemi looks like the most recent success Salzburg, a club known for providing a springboard for young attacking talents. The Munich-born winger is now tipped to be the next to be mentioned on a list which includes Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland and Liverpool’s Sadio Mane.
Germany debut
“Karim has almost everything a striker needs. His quality and speed are brutal,” Red Bull Salzburg coach Matthias Jaissle told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. “Everyone sees he has massive potential. His attitude will determine what comes out of it.”
Indeed, Adeyemi’s performances suggest that he’s on his way to secure a move elsewhere. For Red Bull’s Salzburg this term, the attacker has scored eight goals in 10 appearances in the Austrian Bundesliga, while netting twice in two games in the Champions League. After winning the U21 Euros with Germany and winning the Golden Fritz Walter Medal for young talents in Germany, Adeyemi also made his debut for Germany’s first team, scoring on his debut against Armenia.
Karim Adeyemi (right) celebrates with Germany teammate Florian Wirtz
Coach Hansi Flick was full of praise for the youngster.
“Karim has shown he can be ice-cold in front of goal and that he plays with lots of self confidence,” Flick said after Adeyemi’s debut goal. “He’s still got lots of work to do, but he does his thing very well.”
Return to Bayern Munich?
Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea and Barcelona are all said to be interested in signing him, but Bayern Munich are reportedly leading the race for Adeyemi. According to reports in Germany, the German champions are already in contact with Adeyemi’s agents.
Despite not making it through the club’s youth setup, the young German attacker said he would be open to joining his boyhood club.
“I certainly have no hate towards Bayern,” he told Transfermarkt. “If they would make an offer for me that would work well for all involved and I’ll feel good with it, I’ll certainly go for it.”
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