"People just don't get it – I don't have a normal girlfriend": BVB striker Karim Adeyemi opens up about the 'Mystery Box' affair

"Karim was on holiday and came with me to the *DSDS* filming. I rang Ben and asked him to take the parcels," recalls Loredana, the wife of Dortmund star Adeyemi, in the documentary that lays out the origins of the scandal. 

Ben, the Dortmund star's best friend, immediately ran into police scrutiny at the airport. What had seemed a simple favour quickly turned into a terminal nightmare. 

Unknown to the player's friend, the hold contained a balaclava, a switchblade, brass knuckles and assorted smaller items. Ben recalls in the film: "I took the parcels to the airport as they were. I was standing in front of the police officer and I saw: a balaclava, a switchblade, brass knuckles and a few other bits and bobs. I thought to myself, 'This can't be right.'"

The banned items were officially linked to the BVB player. But how did a highly paid Bundesliga professional end up with prohibited weapons? 

Adeyemi insists there was no criminal intent, claiming the items arrived in a so-called "mystery box"—an online purchase whose contents are unknown until delivery.

"It was a box on a website where I already knew what might be inside. It was a hunting site or something like that. From brass knuckles to a small pocket knife. It could be anything, a mystery box, so to speak," the 24-year-old explained.

According to Adeyemi, the shopping spree was driven by a protective instinct towards his partner, who is in the public eye as a rapper. His fear for his loved ones clouded his judgement. 

"If I'm on my own and someone wants to attack me, then let them do it—but not my family. People don't understand; I don't have a normal wife. I have a wife who is a rapper. For me, someone in the public eye has to be able to defend themselves," he explained. "My thinking was: if I can order it, it can never be illegal."

The court rejected this far-fetched argument outright. Under Germany's strict gun laws, there is no gray area for knuckle dusters or switchblades, so the international footballer ultimately had to accept a hefty fine of over 450,000 euros.