Jeremie Frimpong: ”I’m a strong believer, and I’m grateful for the talent God has given me”
Jeremie Frimpong became an unbeaten champion with Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga, showcasing incredible stats while capturing the hearts of football fans with his flair, dazzling moves, infectious smile, and charming accent. In front of the cameras of Life After Football, he opens up about the vital role his family and faith play as the foundation for his success on the pitch.
He only started playing football in the neighborhood on small squares at the age of seven, and that was in England—not in the Amsterdam Bijlmer where he was born but never kicked a ball. Here’s why: young Jeremie was never allowed to play outside in the Dutch capital by his mother. She thought it was too dangerous. Instead, he mostly stayed indoors, watching Champions League matches on TV—preferably those featuring Lionel Messi.
Family is everything
Jeremie Frimpong: “Being cautious with their children and worrying—that’s just how mothers are,” he says now with a laugh, his sentences filled with family love. His family is dear to him. “There were eight of us at home back then. I have three brothers and three sisters. Most were born in the Netherlands and Ghana. I’m the middle child.” After matches, his youngest sister is often the first to call or text him. “She knows everything—about me and my performances but also about football in general. She plays basketball herself. My brother Wesley plays football in the youth academy of Bolton Wanderers. We’re a real sports family. I think it’s in the genes. My father was a 100-meter sprinter in Ghana. Now he loves tennis. All my sisters are fast too. As for myself, I never really had to do anything to develop my speed.”
”You could call my life turbulent”
His brother Jeffrey Lemmert, who is five years older, is an agent and looked after Jeremie during his early years in England. He took him to Manchester City’s youth academy—first by bus, later by car. Jeffrey sacrificed his own football career for it. Now he’s an agent and has a front-row seat to his younger brother’s successes. Jeremie still needed a little push at times. When he didn’t break through at Manchester City, the move to Scottish club Celtic initially felt enormous. “I didn’t want to go there,” Frimpong recalls. “I thought it was a really big step. We had to move to Glasgow—another city in another country. But I went anyway. You have to push through sometimes.”
In Scotland, hhe became a champion, stood out, and eventually ended up in Germany. “I think I’m someone who adapts quickly. When we moved from the Netherlands to England as a family, we didn’t see it as an easy change at first either.” His parents saw more opportunities on the other side of the North Sea, despite missing things like stroopwafels, cheese soufflés, and nasi. “Such a big change of environment always takes some time. You could call my life turbulent—maybe busy. I’ve moved around a lot. But that also enriches life in a way.”
”I’m a strong believer, and I’m grateful for the talent God has given me”
His family gives him strength, and so does his faith. “I’m a strong believer, and I’m grateful for the talent God has given me. I will never forget that—no matter where I play football or what I achieve.” In the Dutch national team, he found himself in a warm environment in that regard too. He found fellow believers in Cody Gakpo, Stefan de Vrij, Quinten and Jurriën Timber, and Denzel Dumfries. “It’s always nice to feel a connection with like-minded people, especially when you’re new to the team. We often talk a lot about faith together. It’s comforting.”
There’s room in Frimpong’s life for compassion and charity as well. In 2024, he founded the Pathways foundation, an organization aimed at guiding young footballers from the Netherlands, Ghana, Germany, and England who are released from professional clubs. “These young people often fall into a black hole. They put everything into their football career, and then there’s nothing else. My vision is to create a global impact and provide these boys with a network after such a setback.” Jeremie himself was once released from Manchester City’s youth academy. “I’ve always felt I needed to give something back to society,” he says.
