Barcelona star on the Ballon d'Or: Messi is the best every year, and watching Yamal is "madness"
I won't lie about the anxiety: Pedri surprised me, and Barcelona are the best in the world
Germany's Karim Adeyemi, the Barcelona star, has affirmed that his Catalan side is the best in the world and can overcome any opponent, thanks to its stunning quality under coach Hansi Flick.
Adeyemi said during his interview with ARA newspaper: "Talking about the Champions League title? We talk about winning every match. And if you win every match, you end up winning the Champions League, don't you?"
"We think about every match separately," he added. "If you win every match, you will collect everything. That is our goal, to deal with each day on its own, to have a good training session, and the following day another good training session, then we play and we win."
He stressed: "I think we apply the pressing style well, and we know what we have to do, and if we all do it together, then, as I said, we cannot be stopped, whether with the ball or without it."
On his place in the starting line-up, he commented: "I would be lying if I said I don't feel worried. Of course. I think the best thing is for every player to think that he should be a starter. We have to compete."
"Football is competition," he explained. "I am not the type who gets angry or says why does he play and not me? I work every day to prove to the coach that I should play, and I think all the players think the same way."
He noted: "It is a healthy, non-toxic relationship within the dressing room. And we are also ready if we enter the pitch for just a few minutes. The atmosphere in the dressing room is good. We maintain it, and Hansi Flick cares about it a lot too. I think that is the most important thing: that the atmosphere is good. If you have a good atmosphere, you can achieve anything."
Asked which player had surprised him most in training, he continued: "I had of course seen them play before, but Pedri's level is stunning, and Lamine Yamal too of course. He is able to do everything he wants, and it is madness to watch him."
Turning to the Ballon d'Or, he explained: "For me, first and foremost, I think every player is different. You cannot say that a certain player is the best in the world, except for Messi. For me, he is the best every year."
"But yes, every player is different," he added. "I cannot say who deserves it, but I think everyone who competes for it deserves to win it. And Yamal is certainly a clear candidate to win it, and his crowning would be deserved."
Barcelona fans chanting Adeyemi's name
On his goal against Feyenoord and the Camp Nou fans chanting his name, he said: "In truth the goal was so beautiful that I said to myself, what a wonder, what a moment, I loved that because the love of the fans is amazing and you feel greater happiness."
"Flick expects me to play freely, and to make use of my speed and my movements," he added. "And to win the individual duels, and to play with the team. I think I try to do that, and when I score or create goals I feel great happiness, but in the end, the most important thing is winning the matches."
Adeyemi promised to learn the Catalan language, explaining that because of his origins from the Bavaria region, he quickly realised the special nature of Barcelona's fans and the people of Catalonia.
The German rounded off his interview by insisting that Barcelona is not just a club, but is more like a family.
