Karim Adeyemi makes La Liga history with goal on Barcelona debut

Karim Adeyemi marked his first La Liga appearance for Barcelona by joining a select group of German players to score in their league debut, finding the net against Elche on Sunday.

The Germany forward struck in the third minute of first-half stoppage time at the Manuel Martinez Valero, giving Barcelona their second goal of the match.

Adeyemi received an excellent pass from Raphinha and raced through on goal before finishing from inside the penalty area. His effort not only strengthened Barcelona’s position in the match but also secured him a place in the history of the Spanish top flight.

The goal came during the second round of the La Liga season and was Adeyemi’s first league strike for Barcelona since joining the Catalan club during the current summer transfer window.

According to statistics account MisterChip, Adeyemi became only the fifth German player to score in his first La Liga match.

MisterChip listed the players and their respective clubs:

“The only five German players to score in their first match in the history of La Liga: 1929: Walter Bockhard (Barcelona), 1992: Andreas Brehme (Real Zaragoza), 1996: Oliver Neuville (Tenerife), 2025: Jeremy Toljan (Levante), 2026: Karim Adeyemi (Barcelona).”

Adeyemi’s achievement therefore places him alongside a group that includes former Germany international Andreas Brehme, who scored on his La Liga debut for Real Zaragoza in 1992, and Oliver Neuville, who did so for Tenerife four years later.

Walter Bockhard had previously been the first German player recorded as scoring in his opening La Liga appearance, doing so for Barcelona in 1929. Jeremy Toljan became the fourth name on the list when he scored for Levante in 2025.

Adeyemi joined Barcelona from Borussia Dortmund in the current summer transfer window. He signed a contract running until 2031, with the move intended to reinforce Barcelona’s attack for the next stage of the club’s development.

His first appearance in the competition has now begun with a notable personal milestone, after he responded to Raphinha’s delivery with a composed finish before half-time.

A video shared on social media showed Adeyemi’s finish, with the accompanying description celebrating the forward’s contribution: “Karim Adeyemi strikes hard and adds Barcelona’s second goal after a wonderful pass from Raphinha.”

The match was played at Elche’s Manuel Martinez Valero stadium as part of the second round of La Liga fixtures.

Readers were also invited to discuss the subject and related news in greater depth on the Kooora forums.