Karim Adeyemi: "When I scored the goal at the Camp Nou I thought: what a madness"

Saint Joan DespiKarim Adeyemi (Munich, Germany, 2002) has quickly won over the Barcelona fans with his goals. Against Feyenoord, the fans chanted his name after he scored a screamer of the kind that gets you out of your seat. Against Levante, he scored the 2-4 when the team was struggling the most. Today, against Racing (9:30 PM, DAZN), he is expected to start, although he states that Hansi Flick, the architect of his signing, keeps him focused whether he starts or comes off the bench. Adeyemi also promises to learn Catalan and explains that, due to his origins in the Bavaria region, he has quickly grasped the uniqueness of the 'blaugrana' fans and the people of Catalonia.

It has been a very good week for Barça and for you. How are you?

— I feel good. The most important thing is that we have won all the matches so far. That is what counts. And, of course, for me it is very nice to be able to score goals and have minutes at this club.

After the victory, with a great goal of yours at the end of the match against Levante, you posted photos of yourself from the match and the message: "Calm". What did you mean?

— I just felt like it. Honestly, if I say or do something, it's because that's how I feel at that moment. After my goal, I also said "Calm down", because we were losing 2-3 and, later, 2-4. I said "Calm down", and we won the match, yes.

Barça has a characteristic style of play and a way of understanding football. We often say that new signings need a little time to adapt to it. How are you handling this process?

— I think it is difficult. There is so much quality in this team that it is incredible to be here and learn from all my teammates. Of course you have to adapt. The quality is different, much higher. We have a lot of talent and very diverse players, but in the end I am here to learn, adapt, and try to help the team in every match.

And what is on your mind just before scoring a goal, like against Levante or like the one you scored in the Champions League against Feyenoord? What are you thinking? Is it just talent or do you imagine the action?

— No... Well, maybe yes. I don't know. I imagine it beforehand, when I go to sleep. [Laughs] But in the moment, it's difficult. I don't think about anything... It's instinct. It comes to my mind how to receive the ball, how to control it. And, afterwards, it's instinct. I believe every footballer must have a clear head, and that is what I had in those situations. If you have a clear head, you can do anything.

You speak of instinct. Against Levante you tried to score an acrobatic goal, like a scorpion. What were you thinking at that moment?

— As I said, it all happens so fast that you can't even think about it. It's a matter of seconds. At that moment, I only thought that the ball was behind me and that I had to reach it to finish it somehow. [Laughs] Then I did the scorpion kick, but in the end, it went far from the goal. These things happen. If it had gone in...

… It would have been a brutal goal. Six matches this season, six victories. At this moment, is Barça the best team in the world?

— Personally, I do not want to talk about whether we are the best. We have good feelings, we score goals, we go for everything... I believe we are very, very good. And at the end of the season we will see if we are the best in the world or not.

I'll change the question. Is Barça the best team to win the Champions League?

— For me, Barça is the best team in the world. We can beat any rival and we have incredible quality. So… let's just enjoy playing every day.

And you, you and your teammates in the locker room, do you talk about winning the Champions League?

— We talk about winning every match. And if you win every match, you will end up winning the Champions League, right? [Laughs].

It is the great goal.

— We think game by game. If you win every game, you will win everything. This is our goal: to go day by day, have a good training session, the next day another good training session, and then play and win.

Barça is a team that puts a lot of pressure on the rival's defense. This is your style. But do you think that the forwards, the goalscorers, also have to contribute to this pressure?

— Of course. We always say that we are the first defenders, that we start the attack. I think we execute a good press. We know what we have to do, and if we do it all together, we are, as I have said, unstoppable, both with the ball and without it. We are very dangerous. And yes, Hansi wants this from us, so we give it our all, also in the pressure.

Hansi Flick is the one who wanted to sign you. He had you make your debut with the German national team. What does he ask you to do on the pitch? What does the coach expect from you?

— He expects me to play with freedom, to take advantage of my speed and my actions. That I win my one-on-ones and that I play with the team. I think I try to do that, and when I score or provide assists I am very happy, but in the end the most important thing is to win the matches. And so far we have done that, so I am very satisfied. I am already looking forward to playing the next match.

Do you see yourself as a starter? Are you worried about whether you're in the starting eleven or not?

— I would be lying if I said it didn't worry me. Of course. I think the best thing is for every player to think they have to be a starter. We have to compete. Football is competition. I'm not the type who gets angry or says: “Why is he playing and not me?”. I work every day to show the coach that I should play, and I think all the players think that way. So it's a healthy relationship, not a toxic one, in the locker room. We are also prepared if we go out to play for just a few minutes. We have a good atmosphere in the locker room. We take care of that, and Hansi also pays a lot of attention to it. I think that is the most important thing: to have a good atmosphere. If you have that, you can achieve anything.

Which teammate has surprised you the most while training?

— I had already seen them play, of course, but Pedri's level is spectacular, and Lamine's too, of course, he is capable of doing everything he wants, it is crazy to watch him.

In which forward position do you prefer to play?

— I always say that I don't mind, I just need to play. I am happy with any forward position. I want to help the team, score goals, provide assists... And if I am not a starter, I try just as hard when I come off the bench.

On Wednesday you scored a great goal at Camp Nou, against Feyenoord. Could you describe what it feels like to score at the stadium wearing the Barça shirt?

— Yes, the truth is that the goal was really beautiful... It was very beautiful. The goal was so beautiful that I just thought: "What an outrage! What a moment!". It was an incredible moment. I was very happy.

And also the fans chanting your name. Are you aware that it is quite difficult, in just a couple of matches at Camp Nou, to earn the affection of Barça fans so early?

— Yes, I thought about that too and discussed it with some people. To be honest, I kept thinking about it because I thought, "Well, I've only played one or two games," and after that goal you mention, they started chanting my name. I just love it. The fans' love is incredible. You feel very... how should I put it, much happier, much more welcome at a new club, in a new country... But I think that, in the end, people notice or see what I want to do for this club. I just try to be myself, to be authentic, to smile whenever I can and try to help the team".

You have mentioned before that you have a knack for languages. Are you trying to learn Catalan?

— I am starting with Spanish, but I am sure I will learn Catalan as well. Because here it is… like in my home region, which is Bavaria. There they also say: “I am not German, I am Bavarian”. And the Catalan people are very similar, so I know the vibe, and I respect it a lot. And, of course, I will learn everything that is necessary. I just need a little bit of time.

During your presentation, you stated that Barça was also more than a club because of the uniqueness of the Catalan people. How did you know that? Had you prepared it?

— You know, it's not that I looked it up on the internet or asked people about it... For me, it's about feeling a place. I am a person who sees and notices what is different in one country or another, or in one city or another. So, when I arrived here, it was a different environment for me, and I felt at home very quickly, so I had to know that something was different, not similar to any other country. As I said, Bavarians are also very proud of who they are, and I notice it directly when you arrive here. Barça is not just a club, it is like a family, and I see it every day when I head to the club or on the street and people approach you... You feel it inside you. They want you to feel welcome, you know? And I also see it with the elderly, and that is what I appreciate the most, because when you see elderly people smiling at you because they have seen you on TV or at the stadium, it is a different feeling than when they are teenagers who always see you on social media and all that, you know? So it is very warm and very, how should I put it, familiar, yes.

You were born in Germany, your mother is from Romania and your father is from Nigeria, where you have a foundation.

— We do many things. Recently, we have built a hospital for a region in Nigeria. It is not yet completely finished, but we also have a football club for teenagers. We try to organize tournaments for the children. We also try to find places to sleep for homeless people. And we have built many water points for different villages, and toilets, so that they have good toilets. And my father does a lot. He goes there almost every month. It is a very important thing for us, and I like doing it. I like going there too and seeing how it goes.

Can you go there often?

— I try to go every year. Last year I didn't go, but this year I will go. But, yes, every one or two years I go, yes.

I cannot finish without asking you about one of the topics of the moment... Who do you think deserves to win the Ballon d'Or?

— It is hard to say. For me, first of all, I think that every player is different. You cannot say that a player is the best in the world, apart from Messi. For me, he is the best every year. But, yes, every player is different. I cannot say who, but I think that everyone who is in contention deserves to win it. Obviously, Lamine is a clear candidate to win it and it would be deservedly so.