BORUSSIA Dortmund striker Karim Adeyemi has identified food and the strong genes from Nigeria as the main sources of his searing speed.
The forward born to a Nigerian father and German mother scored a sensational goal last night to give Dortmund a 1-0 victory in their UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg clash against Chelsea.
The 21-year-old Germany international outsprinted Chelsea’s £107m signing Enzo Fernandez before rounding goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga to slot home the crucial goal.
In his post-match interview with CBS Sports, Adeyemi has a light-hearted exchange with the reported, in which he reveals the secrets of his pace.
“Tell me what you eat, because I want to be as fast as you,” the reporter asks.
Adeyemi responds, smiling: “I eat a lot of African food but I also have good genetics from my dad. So I think it’s a little big difficult for you to get fast.”
The reporter accepts he has some trouble getting fast, and asks Adeyemi for the particular African food that helps his pace.
“It’s called fufu, from Nigeria.”
The reporter then says he will look for some fufu to start eating as Adeyemi smiles again.
Adeyemi added that the only thing on his mind when running with the ball from inside his own half was to get past the Chelsea marker and beat the goalkeeper, which he spectacularly succeeded in doing.
Fufu is a starchy meal made from casava and eaten with soups like egusi, okro and others.
It is mostly eaten in parts of West Africa, including Nigeria’s South East and South West.
Adeyemi’s father is from Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State in the Nigerian South West, and the Munich-born 21-year-old visited as recently as late last year.
