Karim Adeyemi’s split of 3.60 sec over 30m is faster than Bolt's 3.78m split but he is not thinking athletics 

If Borussia Dortmund are to overhaul Bayern Munich and end their decade-long dominance of the Bundesliga, it will be inspired by Karim Adeyemi.

The Nigeria-born Germany international has been a revelation since the World Cup – and he has the statistics to prove it.

Six goals and five assists in 705 minutes of Bundesliga action in 2023 means that Adeyemi has been involved in a Dortmund goal every 64 minutes.

It is a better record than anyone else in Germany this year. Better than anyone in Europe's major leagues this year.

That does not even include his sensational solo winner against Chelsea in the Champions League.

The form of this flying winger - a man who can claim to be faster than Usain Bolt at his peak over 30 metres - is all the more remarkable given his slow start at the club.

The summer signing from Red Bull Salzburg did not score his first Bundesliga goal until January. "Last year was really hard for me and the team. We did not have a good six months.

We did not play good and I did not play good," Adeyemi tells Sky Sports.

"Of course, you need time to [adjust to] this quality. I think I adapted quite well but in my first game I got my injury and after that it is quite hard to come back. But I was motivated for the next six months. I never gave up and now I can be really proud of myself."

Belatedly, he has settled on the pitch and off it. A popular figure with his team-mates, bonding over a shared love of anime, he has even launched his own podcast in conversation with a childhood pal. The move to Dortmund feels like it was the right choice.

"I feel at home and that is the most important," he says. But when Adeyemi points out that "everybody knows the city because of the club" it is a reminder that committing his future here was a strategic football decision. This is the best place for his development.

"I think step by step," he explains. "I think what is the best thing that I can do for myself, for my journey. Dortmund was the perfect club."

Even the move to Salzburg, having been with Bayern Munich as a young boy, was all part of the plan. In a sense, Adeyemi is emulating Erling Haaland by following that same path from Salzburg to Dortmund but he actually made the move to Austria first.

"The most important thing for a young guy is to play. They have a second team who play against adults. I played in the second league as a 16-year-old, a lot of games. I adapted to men's football and this is what is important for a young player.

"If you develop you can play in the first team of Salzburg and they play Champions League or Europa League. That is a great thing for a young player and you learn a lot. There are really good players in Salzburg and, for me, it was the best move that I could do."

What those experienced defenders must have made of this particular youngster, one can only imagine. The Bolt comparison is no idle boast. Adeyemi has been clocked at 3.60 seconds over 30 metres. Bolt's split time in his world-record run was 3.78.

Does Adeyemi really believe he is the quickest there is? "Yes, I think so. I am very confident with that." Is there nobody close? "Close, maybe. But not faster." Could the 2024 Olympics be an option? He laughs. "No, I don't think so. I cannot. I am focusing on football."

Being inside the stadium for his goal against Chelsea was a visceral thrill, an intake-of-breath moment as he made Enzo Fernandez look sluggish. The roar from the crowd let Adeyemi and everyone else know that there really is no sight like him in full flow.

"The stadium is just incredible to play in. Every time I come on the pitch for the warm-up I get goosebumps all the time. If you have fans like this who have your back it is always more fun to play. If 80,000 people scream your name after the goal, it is very nice."

He is not the only young talent that the Dortmund crowd has the chance to salute, of course. In Jude Bellingham, there is a superstar in the making. "What I love to say is that the ball loves him and he loves the ball back. So, everything he does is quite magic."

Adeyemi describes him as unbelievable with the ball and just as good without it. After discussing this ability to score and assist, attack and defend, he settles on the simplest summary when contemplating what Bellingham can do. "Almost everything, I think."