Adeyemi Excited to See Nigerians Shine in Football

German footballer Karim Adeyemi, who has Nigerian roots, is happy to see Nigerians doing well on the big stage. He spoke after playing against Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday. According to PUNCH Sports Extra, he said the success of Nigerian players makes him very happy.

Adeyemi started the match on the bench but scored as Barcelona beat Galatasaray 4-1 at RAMS Park.

The 26-year-old was born in Munich, Germany, to a Nigerian father and a Romanian mother. Though he chose to play for Germany internationally, he still feels a strong connection to Nigeria. This bond was highlighted when a childhood photo of him playing street football in Ibadan went viral recently.

Talking about the match against Osimhen, Adeyemi said he was pleased with how his team managed to contain the Super Eagles striker. He added that it made him proud to see his fellow Nigerian doing well on such a big stage.

"It is always nice to see Nigerian players on the big stage. I always feel happy for them, but I think our defence did a great job yesterday, and it was very hard for him to make any serious impact," Adeyemi said.

Osimhen, who is 27, faced tough marking from Pau Cubarsi and Eric Garcia at RAMS Park. He did have a header that was turned in by Baris Alper Yilmaz, but the goal was disallowed for offside after a VAR check. He was flagged offside six times, which is the most by any player in a Champions League game this season, according to StatMuse.

Galatasaray took the lead in the 28th minute thanks to Aleksey Batrakov. Joao Cancelo equalized before halftime, and then Fermin Lopez and Anthony Gordon scored within three minutes of each other.

Adeyemi came into the game in the 58th minute and scored seven minutes later. He found the net from the left side of the box after Gabriel Jesus touched a Lamine Yamal cross into his path.

This victory places Barcelona at the top of the standings with six points. Adeyemi praised his team for their discipline and winning mindset.

"You see how we play, with a winning mentality, and our performance shows we want to win everything. You see this in every match. No retreat. No surrender," he stated.