Jeremie Frimpong

This wee guy has the chance to be another agathe if he developes as I hope he will.

 

Well deserved

 

Been voted best SPL right back too so an eventful season. That is truly amazing for a lad who had never played senior matches before.

 

IN winning the club’s Young Player of the Year award for 2019/20, Jeremie Frimpong saw off competition from the likes of Mikey Johnston, Odsonne Edouard and Kris Ajer for the award, sponsored by Scottish Centre for Excellence in Dentistry & PWR Pack Ltd. He thanked his team-mates, his manager and, of course, the Celtic supporters who voted for him over the last several weeks.

Since signing at Paradise last September, the tireless 19-year-old has enjoyed learning from the squad’s more experienced players, and named two key figures in his development at the nine in-a-row champions.

“Players like Scott Brown and Callum McGregor, they’ve been giving me advice on how it is here at Celtic, what’s expected, and that’s really helped me as a player,” Frimpong told Celtic TV.

“When I came to Celtic, I was still pretty childish, but as I’ve been playing with them, I’ve learned new things in the game. I know how important next season is going to be. And to be fair, I don’t like losing, so I know how important it is myself. It’s going to be good, and I can’t wait.”

From here, Frimpong wants nothing more but to help the Hoops compete for 10 successive league titles in the coming campaign, and has no intention of resting on his laurels after clinching the club's Young Player of the Year accolade.

He added: “Oh my days! Celtic is a big, big team. To be winning the Young Player of the Year award for Celtic, that’s unreal. I’m just so happy with myself. It’s all good. Of course, this award is not the only goal. I want to win more trophies as a team, as many as I can. For me, my main focus ahead is just to win

 

JEREMIE Frimpong was delighted to be named as the club’s Young Player of the Year for 2019/20 yesterday, and thanked his team-mates, his manager and every Celtic supporter who voted for him after an unforgettable debut season.

The young defender burst on to the scene last September, during a 5-0 League Cup tie against Partick Thistle at Paradise, and quickly cemented his place in Neil Lennon’s matchday squad - partnering well with James Forrest on the right and using his pace and power to help out in attack as required.

He hasn't looked back since, and is over the moon to have contributed so much in his first season of a long-term deal.

“It feels amazing, it’s crazy,” said Frimpong in an interview with Celtic TV, clutching his newly-claimed Young Player of the Year award, sponsored by Scottish Centre for Excellence in Dentistry & PWR Pack Ltd.

“It’s my first year and to be winning a thing like this, it’s unreal. I have to thank my supporters and, obviously, my team-mates. If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be holding this award. It’s amazing.

“I’m always competing against my team-mates, they’re unreal! They’re so good, so to be competing in this category against the likes of Odsonne, Mikey Johnston, Kris Ajer, all of these guys, it’s crazy. I’m so happy to be able to win this.”

Frimpong described his journey at Celtic to this point as ‘crazy’, and said he owes the award to the support of his colleagues, and his own hard work and determination. He also thanked Neil Lennon for giving him his chance, and for showing sustained faith in his ability.

Now, after months of at-home running-focused training routines, he wants nothing more than to get back on the training pitch and mix safely with his peers.

He added: “If a manager has trust in you, that’s all the motivation you need. If the manager has trust in you, then all you need to do is go out and play, do what you do, and if you’ve got good team-mates as well – everything if there that you need to succeed.

“It’s not even about the Young Player award, for me, this is about the team. We won the league as a team, so I’m really happy about that. To win the league in my first year… it’s unreal! I’m still so happy about it.

“I can’t wait to get back! All I want to do is touch a ball. I’ve been running, running, running. I just want to touch a ball with my team-mates, have some laughs and then focus on the season ahead.”

 

Good result for Ephesians. Who were they playing?

 

Not had a better season than eduard for me

 

Outstanding last night, maybe could have done better with the 4th goal. Played like a seasoned pro. Reckon he will have a big season

 

He will be a legend here

 

Love this guy, think he's gonna develop into a really top player here.

 

On a wing and a prayer. The phrase normally nods to an element of reckless chance but it speaks of other matters in the life of Jeremie Frimpong.

The benign winds of football fate have wafted him on to a Clyde shore but there is a strength to the 19-year-old. It not only pushes him relentlessly down the wing on match days with Celtic but invests his life with purpose.

'I am a really religious man,' he says. 'If you want to go to get something, * will always be with you. I have that faith. I believe in that and it keeps me going.'


This faith has accompanied him from his early childhood in Amsterdam, through his subsequent years in Manchester and now to his present incarnation as an exciting right back with as yet unrealised potential.




I have found a church in Glasgow and will go there post-Covid,' he says. He eschews nights on the town for meetings to discuss scripture.

'I read the Bible for 20, 30 minutes every night or I talk to my sister about it on FaceTime. There is also a group on FaceTime where the pastor talks and we interact or just listen.'

It has helped him adjust to a new life in a new city. He chuckles when reminded his faith means he will never walk alone in an echo of the song sung by Celtic fans.

'Exactly that,' he says. 'When I am by myself, * is always with me. * is always helping me. With that, anything and everything can go well.'

It is certainly travelling at rapid speed in green and white hoops. A year ago, Frimpong was regarded as an interesting signing: a diminutive, quick and resourceful full back from the lower echelons at Manchester City. As the 2020-21 season starts, he is a bona fide Celtic first teamer with two winners' medals on his CV and a hunger for more on his agenda.

If his future is intriguing, his back story is fascinating. The family moved from Amsterdam in search of a better life. With four boys and three sisters, Bernice and Bernard Frimpong had heavy responsibilities.

'Sacrifices were made for me to be a footballer,' he says. His younger brother, Wesley, plays for Bolton Wanderers and his two older brothers played, too. 'They stopped because they weren't good enough,' he says laughing.

Frimpong, though, kept going. He is not burdened by doubt or intimidated by the reputation of others. His upbringing at Manchester City brought him into close contact with players such as Jadon Sancho but he is respectful rather than in awe of his contemporaries. 'Yeah, he's a good, good player,' says Frimpong but this is said in the manner of a business-like appraisal rather than a gushing tribute.



He has a sense of his own worth. 'There is strength in my family,' he says. There is a pride, too. 'My mum did well. She knew I always wanted to be a footballer and it puts a smile on her face when she sees me now, but it puts a smile on mine, too.

'You are making your mum happy, that's everything. She comes and visits me but she doesn't go to the games. She doesn't understand football. She just stays in my house. She says Glasgow is too cold.'

And dad? 'He loves football,' adds Frimpong. 'He says he was good but I don't believe him. When I was in Manchester and City were playing in the Champions League, I would go to the shop and buy Doritos and we would watch the games on TV. That was good.'

The taste for simple pleasures continues. Frimpong's social life revolves around friends at the club — particularly Luca Connell and Jonathan Afolabi — and trips to the cinema, arcades for basketball games and restaurants. 'I like a Nando's,' he says.

But he adds: 'I have changed in a year. I have learned that I must be responsible. I have learned to take care of myself so I can perform at my best.

'The biggest lesson? At Under-23 level you are playing once a week. At Celtic, the games just keep coming at you.'

The first match was an opportunity rather than an ordeal.

'I wanted to show everyone what I had. I said to myself: "I am 100-per-cent ready". I knew my ability. I knew I could help the team,' he says of his debut against Partick Thistle in a 5-0 victory on September 25. His performance was highly praised but there had already been whispers about the impression he made in the Celtic dressing room.

Frimpong remembers his first meeting with his team-mates. He says: 'I just clicked with them right away. I am a happy guy. I just walked in and said: "I am Jeremie".'


This innocence was followed by the slagging ritual. 'They joke about my earrings,' he adds.

But Frimpong has become the youngster who is constantly asking questions. 'What's the league like? What's the first team like? Any advice you can give me? What should I do on the pitch? How can I help the team? I ask everything,' he admits. 'They just tell me: "Don't pressure yourself. We will help you out as much as possible. Just go and play your game and you have nothing to worry about".'

It is a philosophy he holds close. 'I do not pressurise myself by thinking about the size of the crowd or whatever,' says Frimpong. 'I came here because of the history of this club. I knew it was a big, big club. I knew the team was good and I knew I could achieve something. I want to win trophies.'

Again, there is a simplicity and it is reflected in the way he reacts to three matches that perhaps best define a season that ended with him voted by supporters as the best young player at the club.

On October 27, he sparkled when Celtic defeated Aberdeen 4-0 at Pittodrie. This laid a marker for the season but it also pointed to Frimpong's impact on the dressing room. He was pushed to the front of after-match celebrations. There was a feeling that he had impressed his colleagues and kind words were said.

'It was nice to hear that from my team-mates,' he says. He does not go further, insisting: 'It is all about helping the team.'

His character is perhaps best revealed in two more testing matches.

The first came on January 22 when Celtic won 3-1 at Rugby Park but Frimpong was carried off after a hefty challenge by Kilmarnock's Alan Power.

'Tackles like that are part of football. The game is not always nice and you are going to get hit. It was just unlucky that I got injured that day,' he says. Any resentment? 'No, no. No hard feelings.'


He displayed toughness and resilience in that moment but the afternoon of December 8, 2019, demanded other qualities. Celtic defeated Rangers 1-0 in the League Cup final but Frimpong was sent off after a challenge that led to a penalty saved by Fraser Forster.

'Honestly, I don't look back on that all,' he says. 'Being sent off is part of football. You can't dwell on it because you have to look at the next match. We won at the end, so why am I going to think about a red card?'

The victory was watched by the Frimpong family, who quickly appreciated the passion of Jeremie's new playground.

'They could not believe it,' he admits of the atmosphere. 'People would grab them, hugging them in celebrations. My young sister was laughing because supporters wanted to take pictures of themselves with the family.'

In what could have been a moment of self-castigation, Frimpong found joy and satisfaction. It is a trait that he brings to life off the park.

'I have changed a lot over the past year,' he says. 'I was used to seeing the faces of my family every day but I have had to learn to live by myself.

'I had to learn to live without being among my friends in Manchester. I have made new friends, I have focused on football. Everything has changed.'

The new season promises further challenges as Celtic target an unprecedented fourth successive domestic Treble and a run in the Champions League. The quest for ten in a row will dominate the campaign, though Frimpong senses no added pressure.

'Every season is a big season,' he says. 'I am going to go about it as just another season with just the same focus. I want to win with my team-mates. And that is what I will do.'

The future is fortified by the past. 'Glasgow by myself was different. I was bored by myself but I made friends, adapted quickly. It is all part of being a footballer. You have to do things like leaving home at a young age if you want to succeed,' he says.

Frimpong adds: 'It's not been easy but it has been good.'

The best may yet be to come.

 

They don't know how to handle him..