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).

Borussia Dortmund forward, Karim Adeyemi, landed in Nigeria recently, returning to Ibadan to witness the Karim Adeyemi Foundation academy in action at the Olubadan Stadium, Soccernet.ng reports.

Speaking to Soccernet.ng, the German-based player addressed the curiosity about his investment in his father’s homeland, Nigeria.

Born in Munich, Germany, to a Nigerian father, Abbey Adeyemi, and Romanian mother, Alexandra Adeyemi, he has represented Germany in various youth international tournaments.

Despite his German ties, Adeyemi’s footballing journey began in both Munich (Germany) and Ibadan (Nigeria), shaping his connection to Nigeria significantly.

Adeyemi highlighted his deep-rooted connection to Nigeria through his father and childhood memories of playing football in the streets with local friends during visits.

“As I said, I think I have my root here. My father is from here, and his heart is still here in Nigeria. Of course, my heart is also here in Nigeria,” he shared.

His passion for giving back to the community involves offering educational and football opportunities to youngsters.

“[There is] a story of how I came here to Nigeria. I saw the kids playing football on the street, and I played with them. It’s a small story, but it touched my heart all my life. So I try to give something back to the community.” he continued.

Adeyemi aims to provide schooling and football training with qualified coaches, emphasizing the significance of this initiative.

“The first thing is to help people. To give teenagers and children the opportunity choose their life, to go to school, to play football, and with good qualities, good coaches, this is what we are trying to do,” he added.

Accompanied by Borussia Dortmund staff, the 21-year-old expressed pride in the club’s involvement in Nigeria, hinting at future collaborations between his foundation and the academy, aiming to pave the way for Nigerian talents to reach the high leagues in Europe.

“Of course, BVB is here, makes me also really proud that they made a big way to Nigeria. To look how it is, and maybe work with my foundation and this is really important for me. So of course, the academy, if we plan for the future, we can do some good things and maybe also as you said with the academy, maybe also get in players to Europe, and give them the opportunity to play in the high league.” said Karim.

 

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He concluded his visit by actively participating in various event activities, including refereeing the matches and presenting cash prizes to the young players.

Listen to the audio here:

Soccernet-interview-with-Karim-A

Until Karim Adeyemi’s now famous fufu quote hit the headlines in February, not many Nigerians gave him a second thought as a member of their diaspora community. Afterall, the player had chosen Germany over the Nigerian national team and so had become ‘lost’ to them.

But the 21-year-old’s love for his father’s land and culture has since come to the fore after the interview when he scored a spectacular match-winning goal against Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 game in Dortmund.

That post-match interview went viral as he attributed his speed and athletic prowess to the West African staple meal, fufu, and his genetics passed on by his Nigerian father. Karim’s mother, Alexandra, is Romanian.

Afterwards, videos emerged on social media of Karim eating eba in the most Nigerian of ways; he cut the eba, molded it into a ball, threw it in the air, caught it mid-flight and proceeded to scoop some okra soup before swallowing the bolus. There is nothing more Nigerian.

Karim Adeyemi’s secret to his pace. He is currently the fastest player in the Bundesliga.#SikkaSports #Sikka895 pic.twitter.com/6keE2417od

— Sikka Sports (@SikkaSports895) February 16, 2023

A father’s dream

Karim’s father, Abiodun, was a former footballer himself. He moved to Germany in the late 1990s to try his fortune at professional football, but could not fulfil his dreams.

According to a statement by the foundation, he was deemed too old by the time he arrived in Europe. He ended up doing unskilled jobs to make a living before meeting his wife, Alexandra, another immigrant who faced the odds that were stacked against her.

Despite their struggles, they raised Karim with love and supported his football dreams from a young age. Karim was scouted by Bayern Munich as an eight-year-old boy but would be let go for his failure to fit into their system at age ten. His tenacity kept him going, and his father’s support ensured he did not lose his faith in his own abilities after being let go by the German giants.

He was signed up by SpVgg Unterhaching where he developed further and played for four seasons in the Junior Bundesliga. He gained his confidence and became a sought-after talent.

In 2018, Karim moved to Austria to play for the youth team of Red Bull Salzburg and hit a good patch that got him promoted to the senior team, where he won the Austrian Bundesliga thrice and became the top scorer in the 2021-22 season.

This led to his call-up to the German national team and an eventual $33 million transfer to Borussia Dortmund ensued in July 2022.

He had fulfilled his father’s dreams of playing professional football in Germany.

Giving through football

It is not just through fufu that Karim is showing affiliation with his Nigerian heritage.

In December, Karim and his father returned to Ibadan, their hometown, where they checked on the progress of the Adeyemi Football Club, an outreach being run by the player’s foundation, the Karim Adeyemi Foundation.

The club is trained by experienced local coach Kolawole Emmanuel.

The club’s young players were happy to meet their founder and benefactor, and they played an exhibition match against NPFL side 3SC to the delight of the shy youngster. This semi-pro club, in one of the most historical cities in Nigeria, is helping young footballers to pursue their passion while earning a living.

“They receive a stipend for their upkeep from the Karim Adeyemi Foundation,” a source close to the player told Soccernet.ng.

Largely administered by his father, Karim is said to be very keen on ensuring that the young footballers get the best of amenities for their development and hopefully secure professional moves overseas.

@karim_adeyemi born in Munich, Germany, to a Nigerian father and Romanian mother. He is a German @DFB_Team_EN and @bvb professional footballer. Karim relates his relationship with Nigeria and expresses himself in the Yoruba dialect. Full video on this link https://t.co/k7THCbKZA7 pic.twitter.com/pPY3LwKn29

— Ifaseesin Olosun Egbebi (@ifaseesinolosun) June 9, 2022

Multi-million investments

The Karim Adeyemi Foundation recently purchased two Coaster buses at the cost of 35 million Naira to get the players to games in style and comfort.

“We have plans for them to get into the National League (NLO) in the coming season,” the source said.

The club currently trains and plays some of its friendly matches at the grounds of the private Ilaji Resort in Ibadan.

Despite Karim’s decision to represent Germany over his father’s country, he is showing that his heart is in the right place by being close to his roots and empowering the young people that look up to him.

Listen to the AfroBuli FC Podcast: Karim Adeyemi and the Power of Fufu