Quicker than Bolt? Barcelona land speedster Karim Adeyemi in €29m deal

Barcelona have all but wrapped up a move for Borussia Dortmund winger Karim Adeyemi, a player who claims to be the fastest footballer on the planet — and who has the numbers to back it up. Club president Joan Laporta went public with the agreement while speaking to the media in Dallas, confirming a verbal deal with the German side. The 24-year-old Germany international will move to Catalonia for an initial €22 million, with another €7 million in potential add-ons. Dortmund have also secured a 20% sell-on clause, while Adeyemi is set to sign a five-year contract at the Camp Nou. “We are very excited about Adeyemi,” Laporta said. “We've liked him for a while. He's dangerous and fast, and Deco handled the signing very well.” Adeyemi has long fancied himself as the game's quickest man. “I think I'm the fastest player in football. I'm pretty sure of it. There may be players who come close, but none are faster,” he stated. His numbers are eye-catching. Over 30 metres, Adeyemi has clocked 3.60 seconds — faster than Usain Bolt's 3.78 seconds during his 100-metre world record. In the Bundesliga, he set a league record with 36.65 km/h in 2022/23 against Freiburg. Dortmund's own tracking later showed even more: 37.28 km/h in a Champions League clash with Real Madrid. Yet Adeyemi is not the absolute fastest in the modern game. According to CIES Football Observatory data, Anthony Gordon hit 37.92 km/h in the Champions League last season for Newcastle. Tottenham's Micky van de Ven reached 37.38 km/h, while Manchester City's Kyle Walker (37.31 km/h) and Wolves' Jackson Tchatchoua (37.30 km/h) also sit ahead of Adeyemi. Gordon's Premier League best was 36.68 km/h. Thierry Henry's often-quoted 39.2 km/h sprint with Arsenal predates modern GPS tracking and remains unverified, as do similar claims for Arjen Robben and Ronaldo. Adeyemi is undeniably among the fastest to ever play the game — but he may have to settle for being second (or third, or fourth) rather than first.