EURO 2024
Who is Jeremie Frimpong?
One of the keys to Xabi Alonso's incredible Bayer Leverkusen success, Jeremie Frimpong was unstoppable in an unbeaten domestic double and looks set to get even better...
bundesliga.com gives you the lowdown on Leverkusen's rapid right-back...
Stats correct as of 2 June 2024
Age: 23 (born 10 December 2000)
Club: Bayer Leverkusen
Position: Right-back
Country: The Netherlands (Two caps)
Key stats
Netherlands-born but with Ghanaian roots on his maternal side, Frimpong has actually spent the majority of his life in Great Britain. His family upped sticks for England when he was seven, and within two years the young boy from Amsterdam was kicking about in the Man City youth academy. Frimpong crossed paths with Jadon Sancho in the U18s before the latter made a career-shaping move to Borussia Dortmund. Despite impressing with the U23s in Premier League 2 and the UEFA Youth League, the Dutchman left the Etihad Campus without playing a single minute of senior football.
That's not all Frimpong has in common with Sancho. The 5'8" right-back made a huge impression on the professional circuit after joining Celtic in summer 2019, making 24 competitive appearances across his debut season of senior football. He produced four goals and five assists as the Hoops won a Scottish Premiership Cup and League Cup treble, and contributed a further six goals in 30 outings in 2020/21, before penning a four-year deal with Leverkusen.
Frimpong quickly settled at the BayArena, making 10 Bundesliga appearances in the second half of 2020/21, before truly making the right-back slot his own in 2021/22. He made 26 appearances, scoring one goal and providing six assists, before a ligament injury ended his campaign in mid-March just as his performances had been rewarded with a maiden call-up to the senior Netherlands squad.
That did not deter Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal, who selected Frimpong for his 2022 World Cup squad having watched the Leverkusen man register five goals and three assists in the first half of 2022/23. He did not play a minute for De Oranje in Qatar, but after settling back into club football, hit a purple patch with three goals in just four outings between Matchdays 23 and 26 to help his team to a run of four successive wins.
Watch: All of Jeremie Frimpong's 2023/24 goals and assists
It turned out that Frimpong's end to 2022/23 was just a precursor of what was to come next time out. Already bedding in nicely under Alonso who arrived mid-season in the previous campaign, things stepped up to a whole new level with a full pre-season under their belts.
The Dutchman and fellow full-back Alex Grimaldo would become the surprise playmakers and attacking outlets in Alonso's system, and it was Frimpong who kicked things off. The season opener saw him notch a goal and an assist in a 3-2 win over RB Leipzig and two games later he set up two goals vs Darmstadt.
The staggering production continued and in February he completed a 3-0 rout of title rivals Bayern Munich which turned the world of football onto B04. Unbeaten at that stage, Leverkusen would go on to claim their first-ever Bundesliga title as German football's first invincible champions. They would acheive the same feat in the DFB Cup with Frimpong scoring in the semis against Fortuna Düsseldorf. All in all, he ended the campaign with a staggering 14 goals and seven assists in all competitions.
Watch: All of Jeremie Frimpong's 2023/24 goals and assists
Plays a bit like: Achraf Hakimi
When his teams are in possession, Frimpong behaves like a right winger rather than a right-back. He has the pace to eat up ground in the final third and boasts a keen eye for a decisive pass, and in 2023/24 his finishing went to a whole new level. He doesn't shirk his defensive duties, though, his acceleration the fuel for some rocket-propelled recovery challenges.
Achraf Hakimi brought the best of both worlds to the table during a two-year loan spell spent dovetailing with Sancho at Dortmund, but Frimpong has improved on that, and has become an attacking powerhouse in his own right.
Did you know?
If Frimpong wasn't such a talented footballer, he could no doubt make his way in the world as a translator or interpreter.
"It was English that was spoken in the house when I was growing up," he told goal.com. "That and the Ghanaian language called Twi. My mum would normally speak that to me, but my brothers and sisters all speak English. I'm still working on my Dutch. I know how to speak it a little. If I do play for the national team, I will try to learn it."
Frimpong won a handful of U19, U20 and U21 caps for the Netherlands, but was previously eligible to represent Ghana and England at senior level. He has yet to win a senior cap for the Dutch.
What they're saying
"I see a grown-up Jerry. It is important not only to play well, but also to understand the profession, the work. He understands why you do certain things. He had a big influence last season. He still has that influence now, but with a slightly different game, with fewer transitions and more control." - Alonso in October 2023
"In recent years, Jeremie Frimpong has not only become one of our team's best players, but in his position as an attacking right-back, he has become one of the best players in the Bundesliga." - Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes
"We always say Jerry can't shoot at all... but he has scored a lot of goals." - teammate Robert Andrich
"Young, accomplished on the ball, versatile, with real pace and a very lively style of play: if Jeremie continues in the same way in the coming years, he could be an important part of our team." - former Leverkusen CEO Rudi Völler
"I've never seen a better kid than him. The quality of his play, the pace of his play, the end product. His fitness levels are incredible, I think that the fans have really taken to him." - former Celtic head coach Neil Lennon