Football journalist Matt Ford looks at how Jeremie Frimpong developed both as a player and as a person during his last two seasons of playing under former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso at Bayer Leverkusen.
After firing Bayer Leverkusen into the lead against Borussia Dortmund earlier this month, in Xabi Alonso's final home game at the club, Jeremie Frimpong sprinted over to his head coach and leapt into his arms in jubilation.
It wasn't just a celebration of an unstoppable strike into the top corner, but of two-and-a-half years in which Alonso and Frimpong had brought the very best out of each other - and their club.
And it was fitting that the celebration took place on the touchline, the epicentre of Die Werkself's spectacular unbeaten run to the 2023/24 Bundesliga title. As Alonso directed his 3-4-2-1 system, right wing-back Frimpong was one of his key weapons on the pitch.
"You don't find many Jeremie Frimpongs in this world," Alonso told the local Kolner Stadt-Anzeiger newspaper in May 2024. "He's such an important player for our system which is tailor-made for him."
How Alonso helped Frimpong mature
Alonso and Frimpong didn't just harmonise tactically; they were on the same wavelength as people, too.
"He needs to become a bit more mature," Alonso said in October 2023, a year into his stint in charge at Leverkusen. Frimpong had been there since January 2021, quickly establishing himself as the life and soul of the dressing room – even if the team's performances on the pitch had left a lot to be desired.
Not that Alonso's words about Frimpong needing to mature were perceived as criticism; merely recognition of where the young Dutchman was in his personal development.
One incident early on in Alonso's tenure simultaneously demonstrated Frimpong's youthful immaturity – and kindness of heart.
After scoring a late equaliser to rescue a point against Wolfsburg in Alonso's third game in charge, Frimpong rather carelessly booted the ball, which was already out of play, into the crowd. It struck a young Leverkusen fan in the face at close range.
Frimpong apologised by talking at length to the little boy at full-time and giving him his shirt. He was subsequently nominated for the Bundesliga's Fair Play Gesture of the Year award.
"Jerrie's improving a lot," said Alonso. "He has a big future ahead of him."
Joyful Jeremie
He was soon proven right. Six months later, Frimpong had scored nine goals and set up nine more as Leverkusen were crowned champions for the first time ever.
Ironically, his most famous goal came in the one game where Alonso changed his system and sacrificed Frimpong for Josip Stanisic, surprising Thomas Tuchel's Bayern Munich with a more conventional back four.
But Frimpong later came off the bench to score the third goal in a thumping 3-0 win which effectively secured the title.
"Not just this season but ever since I arrived here, Jeremie has been such an important player for me, for us," said Alonso. "He's a great lad. He brings so much joy to the dressing room with his personality."
That lebensfreude – that zest for life – was visible when Frimpong jumped into Alonso's arms after scoring against Dortmund, with what turned out to be his 30th and final goal for Leverkusen in his 190th and final game.
A homecoming of sorts
Frimpong has put pen to paper on a deal with Liverpool, joining his compatriot Arne Slot – another head coach who, like Alonso, won the league in his first full season at his new club.
For Frimpong, it's also a homecoming of sorts. Born in Amsterdam, he joined Manchester City's youth academy as a nine-year-old before signing for Celtic in 2020 – and he speaks with the accent of a young lad who grew up in the north-west of England.
"Football is crazy," he told UEFA's official website. "Sometimes you're up, sometimes you're down. You just have to take it step for step and try not to get carried away."
Frimpong's career is certainly on an upward trajectory at the moment, and so is his development as a person.
He has Alonso and Bayer Leverkusen to thank for that.
Matt Ford (@matt_4d_) is a freelance journalist specialising in German football, fan culture and sports politics.