Karim Adeyemi: Germany and Borussia Dortmund star with a heart for Nigeria

Germany and Borussia Dortmund star Karim Adeyemi continues to demonstrate his deep-rooted connection to Nigeria, his father’s birthplace, through his philanthropic efforts and football initiatives, Soccernet.ng reports.

A frequent visitor to Nigeria, Adeyemi actively engages in the operations of the Karim Adeyemi Foundation Academy, a project deeply rooted in his personal values.

Collaborating with Super Eagles midfielder Wilfred Ndidi, Adeyemi recently donated two residential buildings in Lagos, equipped with essential amenities, including 96 fully air-conditioned beds, round-the-clock power supply with solar backup, treated water facilities, high-quality showers, and changing rooms.

During a recent interview, Adeyemi spoke candidly about his commitment to the foundation, reflecting on his past experiences and future aspirations.

He recounted how his childhood trips to Nigeria alongside his father planted the seed for his philanthropic endeavours, stating,

“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 that.

“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.”

Elaborating on the foundation’s genesis, Adeyemi shared insights into its mission and objectives, emphasising the pivotal role football plays in driving positive change.

When questioned about the academy’s operations, Adeyemi provided details on the football team’s structure and activities.

“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, 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,” he explained, highlighting the foundation’s efforts to nurture young talent and provide them with opportunities for growth.

Adeyemi’s dedication to uplifting Nigerian communities extends beyond football, as evidenced by the foundation’s various outreach projects.

“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.”

Reflecting on his father’s influence, Adeyemi acknowledged the profound impact his upbringing had on shaping his values and worldview.

“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,” Adeyemi reminisced. 

Adeyemi admits that his experiences in Nigeria help to keep him focused as a very young professional footballer.

“Yes, so it definitely brings someone back down to earth.

“You realise that there are people who don’t have everything you have. Or there are people who might have your talent but never get the chance to come here to Germany and Europe to show that they can play football.

“That’s why, when you go back there, I show everyone that they should go and see how they live there and then say thank you that they have such a good life here in Germany.

“But yes, that just brings you back down to earth and yes, just makes you feel grateful for what you have.”

Adeyemi, 22, with four caps for Germany, will look to be in action for Borussia Dortmund when they trade tackles with bitter rivals Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga today (Saturday, March 30th).