Dutch defender of Ghanaian descent Jeremie Frimpong is Leverkusen’s promoted team of the season and, at 36.07 km/h, the fastest right-back in the league German Bundesliga.
The Dutch U21 international, who is about to make his debut in the senior national team, has been speaking to SPORT BILD.
Below is the full Q&A INTERVIEW:
Where does your speed come from?
Jeremie Frimpong: It’s innate. I’ve always been fast.
Do you train at your pace?
Frimpong: Yes! I always meet up with a personal trainer in Manchester during my summer vacation. He showed me last summer that I can be faster by changing my running technique – I now run more like the sprinters at the Olympics.
What’s the difference?
Frimpong: It’s primarily about the knee lift. I now raise my knees a little higher so that the foot can actively accelerate from front to back.
Was athletics a topic for you?
Frimpong: I ran in the 4x100m relay at school, but just to spend more time with my friends. Otherwise, I only ever played football.
“Man City discovered me when I was nine”
At the age of seven you moved to Manchester with your parents from Amsterdam. How did City discover you?
Frimpong: When I was nine years old, I played in a tournament with a small club and scored a few goals in the final. There were a lot of scouts there that day, and City then invited me for a six-week trial to see if I was good enough. That was me. So City became my first real club.
You played for City’s U23. How close was your contact with Pep Guardiola?
Frimpong: There was only contact sometimes when we as a team had to help out in training – then we simulated the next opponent. I never trained properly.
In 2019 you switched to Celtic Glasgow at the age of 18, became champions, cup and league cup winners in 2020.
Frimpong: The treble was incredible and will never be forgotten. Since then I’ve known how great titles feel.
You came to Leverkusen at the end of January 2021. How did Florian Wirtz become your best friend in the team?
Frimpong: From the first moment we sat next to each other in the changing room. If you’re almost the same age, you’ll quickly find a connection. His English is really good, so we understood each other straight away.
“I speak English better than Dutch”
Is it true that you speak better English than Dutch, your native language?
Frimpong: Yes, I even speak English with my Dutch Bayer colleagues Daley Sinkgraven, Mitchel Bakker and Timothy Fosu-Mensch.
What kind of career do you think Wirtz is capable of?
Frimpong: He has a bright future ahead of him! I am convinced that he can win many titles and maybe even the Ballon d’Or. Flo has what it takes! It’s crazy how good he is already. Nowadays there is a young generation of players who give the impression that the boys have been there for 30 years because they are so confident – he is part of it.
You could face Wirtz in the international match against Germany in Amsterdam on March 29. You are in the Dutch senior squad for the first time. Who did you learn that from?
Frimpong: Mitchel Bakker, who also plays in the U21s, was the first to tell me last Friday that I would be in the provisional squad. I was a little surprised at first, but of course I was very happy. That’s what you’re working towards.
Has Bond coach Louis van Gaal already contacted him in person?
Frimpong: Not so far. Maybe that will happen if I should be nominated for the final squad. Playing in the senior national team is my goal and the World Cup in Qatar is a big dream.
You play for Holland and also have Ghanaian roots. Was Ghana not an option for you?
Frimpong: The Ghanaian FA tried to win me over. But I discussed with my family that I want to play for Holland.
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Please complete these sentences: Bayer wins the Europa League because…
…we have a good team with winners and we want to show the other teams that we’re one of the top clubs in this competition.
I’m playing next season with Bayer in the…
…Champions League! And hopefully in the cup final.
I would like to trade a jersey with…
…Kylian Mbappe.
My dream club is…
…was actually always Chelsea FC. As a kid, I used to watch Chelsea games with my uncle, mostly because of Didier Drogba.
