Who is Karim Adeyemi?

bundesliga.com takes a look at Dortmund's young Germany international who is currently the toast of Signal Iduna Park thanks to an astonishing hat-trick in the UEFA Champions League ...

Karim Adeyemi

Age: 22 (born 18 January 2002)
Club: Borussia Dortmund
Position: Forward
Country: Germany (four caps/ one goal)

Key stats

Adeyemi was born in Munich and, following two years at first club TSV Forstenried, he was snapped up by Bayern Munich at just eight years old in 2010. Things didn't quite work out for the young Adeyemi at Bayern, however, and he made the move to SpVgg Unterhaching, registering 20 goals in 28 appearances in the Unterhaching youth sides before Red Bull Salzburg came calling in the summer of 2018. 

After receiving Germany's prestigious Fritz-Walter Medal as the brightest U17 player in the country in 2019, he began making an impact in the Salzburg first team. Adeyemi contributed one goal and four assists from 12 senior outings in 2019/20 and followed that up with nine goals and 12 assists from 42 appearances in 2020/21 - before chipping in with 23 goals and nine assists in 44 games in all competitions in 2021/22, including three and two respectively in eight UEFA Champions League appearances.

Following his switch to Dortmund for the 2022/23 campaign, Adeyemi burst out of the blocks in his Bundesliga debut season, during which he received a call up to the Germany squad for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Adeyemi's pace, close control and focus were encapsulated in his fifth of nine goals that season - the winner against Chelsea in a 1-0 Champions League round of 16 first-leg tie at Signal Iduna Park. Although Dortmund fell short of the title by a point on the final day of the season, he was named the league's Rookie of the Season.

Watch: Karim Adeyemi named Rookie of the Season 2022/23

Adeyemi would again prove crucial in the following campaign, adding five more goals to make it 14 in 66 games. Two of those were crucially in the Champions League, helping BVB to their third-ever final where they were beaten by Real Madrid.

In BVB's most recent campaign too, Adeyemi has showed no signs of slowing. The winger scored three fantastic goals in Dortmund's 7-1 demolition of Celtic in the league phase of the 2024/25 Champions League season. 

Among his many achievements, one of Adeyemi's most fascinating is that he's been recorded as the second-fastest Bundesliga player since records began - having set a new top speed of 22.77 mph (36.65 km/h) that in February 2022.

Plays a bit like: Mohamed Salah

Both goalscoring left-footers who make magic happen from out wide, there are plenty of similarities.

Both are anti-Lionel Messis when it comes to their dribbling style, using a high centre of gravity to trick defenders at speed. If they're not successful with a piece of skill, they tend to win a free kick in a dangerous area. Adeyemi prefers to start off the left to Salah's right, but there are signs that when it comes to entering the opponent's box, BVB's frontman could get even better. 

Did you know?

Adeyemi has used his time out of football to conduct charity work in his father's native country of Nigeria. The Karim Adeyemi Foundation aims to provide education to 1,000 students and train 5,000 professional footballers by 2030.

What they’re saying

"He played fantastically. Not just today, but also in the last few weeks. He plays with more maturity and more determination. That must continue to be his aim.” - Dortmund captain Emre Can on Adeyemi's hat-trick against Celtic in October 2024

"They give me goosebumps every time; it was incredible with these fans today." - Adeyemi on celebrating his winner against Chelsea in February 2023 in front of BVB's supporters

"Karim has shown he can be ice-cold in front of goal and that he plays with lots of self-confidence. He's still got lots of work to do, but he does his thing very well." - Former Germany coach Hansi Flick

"Karim has almost everything a striker needs. His quality and speed are incredible. - Red Bull Salzburg coach Matthias Jaissle