Karim Adeyemi's first outing in a Barcelona shirt ended in defeat, but it was the German winger's own performance, not the scoreline, that dominated the Catalan press the morning after.
Barcelona lost 3-2 on penalties to Birmingham City at St Andrew's on July 31 after the pre-season friendly finished 2-2 following 90 minutes, but Hansi Flick handed Adeyemi a full 45 minutes on the right flank as part of a plan to split the squad across two different lineups and get an early look at his new signing.
ONE reported that Adeyemi announced himself early, setting up a promising chance for Ferran Torres inside the first five minutes with an incisive pass that almost produced a goal.
According to the Spanish daily Sport, cited by ONE, Adeyemi showed "speed, constant movement forward and a personality to demand the ball" during his time on the pitch, with the paper's verdict summed up as a player who "passed the first test."
The Catalan coverage framed the display as reason for optimism among Barcelona supporters, even without a goal or assist to his name, pointing to his work rate and willingness to track back as much as his attacking threat.
Adeyemi joined Barcelona from Borussia Dortmund earlier in July after around a week of training with his new teammates before Flick opted to fast-track him into the starting XI for the trip to England. Reported figures for the transfer fee have varied by outlet and have not been confirmed by either club.
The friendly itself was a lively one: Birmingham took the lead through August Priske's header from an Alex Cochrane cross before Barcelona hit back twice, only for the English side to level again and eventually prevail in the shootout, with goalkeeper James Beadle the hero with two saves.
Jude Bellingham, who came through Birmingham's academy before his move to Borussia Dortmund and now stars for Real Madrid, was in the stands to watch his old club take on Barcelona.
For Adeyemi, the result mattered far less than the impression left in his 45 minutes — an early marker as Flick's squad continues its preparations before the new season.
