A spectacular fall from grace! A BVB star has rightly been left out of the World Cup squad

He was referring to Karim Adeyemi, for whom the term 'weapon' has recently acquired a different connotation. Despite Ricken's insistence that pace is an "outstanding quality always useful at a tournament", the national coach has left the 24-year-old behind, preferring the similar attributes of Maximilian Beier and Jamie Leweling.

The omission was no surprise: even BVB coach Niko Kovac had gradually relied less on Adeyemi, though not only because of his April muscle tear.

It is a sharp decline for the 11-cap international in 2026, coming at a time when World Cup qualifiers are in full swing. Many have already forgotten that Adeyemi excelled in the first half of the campaign, providing nine goal contributions (six goals, three assists) and standing out as Dortmund's most consistent attacking player.

He started 16 of his 17 competitive appearances in the first half of the season, but that number fell to just six after the turn of the year. Across those outings, Adeyemi clocked only 582 minutes—an average of under 34 minutes per game—far too little to press his claim for a World Cup berth.

Although his output stayed roughly steady—seven goal contributions (four goals, three assists)—he made little impact from the bench, precisely the role Ricken had envisaged for him at the World Cup. For Kovac, who was never keen on making changes, there was little reason to shift Adeyemi from the bench.

According to the Croatian, no other player has spoken to him more during his time in Dortmund, as he revealed recently on the Bild podcast "Phrasenmäher". The coach described himself as a fan of "the man Adeyemi" because, in his words, "he's a uniquely good bloke". Kovac added: "A great lad, not a bad person – on the contrary: sometimes he's too good a lad in my opinion. There's no malice in him."

Yet being a nice guy doesn't impress a workhorse like Kovac on the pitch. Throughout his career, Adeyemi has lacked the necessary bite and, undoubtedly, the total professionalism needed to turn his undoubted talent into a serious senior performer at the highest level.

"I'm absolutely convinced he can become a truly great footballer if he adjusts certain things. But for that to happen, he needs to trust me a bit more," said Kovac, ticking off the forward's shortcomings. "He needs to work on his precision and his attention to detail. He's been blessed with immense talent; now it's about the hard work, tweaking the nuances that will take him to the next level. To do that, he needs to make the most of every minute of training."

These are not new issues for the forward. Almost three years ago, then assistant coach Armin Reutershahn offered a similar, clearer assessment: "Karim has all the skills needed to become a top player in Europe. He isn't one yet, but he can develop into one. But sometimes I feel he lacks the necessary seriousness. He's very laid-back at times in training, and I'd like to see him approach things with even greater dedication."

Former head coach Edin Terzic immediately agreed with Reutershahn. "I fully back Achim on that," he said. "We know that consistency and effectiveness must improve, and we're working on that—including with Karim." Nevertheless, Adeyemi has yet to show significant progress in this development process.

Critics who doubt his potential at the highest level point to several off-field incidents. Adeyemi already had a disciplinary record, and his conduct in the first half of the season has not helped.

Within weeks he hurled a bottle towards the bench after being subbed off, tried to sneak into the dressing room while the game was still going, and needlessly provoked a scuffle. To cap it all, he then triggered the so-called "Mystery Box" disciplinary measure. As if that were not enough, his marriage to a rapper has fed perceptions of a laissez-faire attitude, a questionable professional ethic and an overbearing social-media footprint.

The key issue now is Adeyemi's future at BVB. Ricken's public backing was probably calculated: a World Cup appearance could further raise the forward's market value. Adeyemi is in demand; he has offers, including a Borussia extension.

No deal has been struck, but a swift resolution is needed. A sale—likely to fetch at least €40 million—would give Dortmund valuable transfer flexibility. During the summer break, Ricken and his colleagues must craft fresh arguments to secure Adeyemi's future one way or another.