In the modern era of football, Celtic have created a platform for players to flourish on the most prestigious stage in Europe before eventually earning a big money move to a richer club in a bigger league.
It is a harsh reality, but Celtic have had to adapt to the widening gap between Scottish football and the top European leagues, where vast broadcasting and sponsorship deals provide far smaller clubs elsewhere with obscenely higher budgets.
Celtic have been very successful at shopping low and selling high, providing a springboard for many players, including Virgil van Dijk, Victor Wanyama and Jota.
One of the biggest success stories of the last five years is undoubtedly Jeremie Frimpong.
Unlike the aforementioned trio, Frimpong perhaps didn't dominate Scottish football in the same fashion as someone like his fellow countryman van Dijk did, but Celtic supporters who witnessed the former Manchester City youth bursting on to the scene knew that this tricky wing-back possessed bags of potential.
ACSOM is coming to Dunoon for the first time next month. Click on the flyer below to secure your tickets!
Frimpong is currently the most sought-after full-back in Europe, lighting up the right-flank for Bayer Leverkusen as Xabi Alonso's side stormed the Bundesliga to win their first-ever league title. Now 46 games unbeaten, Leverkusen are still in the hunt for the German Cup and Europa League.
Whilst Virgil van Dijk may be the best player Neil Lennon has ever managed, the ex-Celtic manager's greatest success story could well be giving Jeremie Frimpong his big break.
Frimpong signed for Celtic from the youth ranks of Manchester City in 2019, with the Dutchman having never played a single minute of professional football.
That same summer, Celtic also signed Hatem Abd Elhamed and Mortiz Bauer who were set to battle it out for the starting berth, meaning Frimpong had to wait patiently for opportunities to present themselves at Celtic.
When the opportunity of first-team football arose, Frimpong took it and, quite literally, ran with it.
Handed a start out of the blue on 25th September 2019 against Partick Thistle in the League Cup, Frimpong picked up the Man of the Match award on his professional debut and never looked back.
The 18-year-old continued to show his raw attributes - pace, energy and dribbling - which were key in helping Celtic to quickly transition the ball upfield. If his performances on the field weren't enough, his personality during his press commitments earned him even more adulation from the Celtic support.
One of his biggest moments in a Celtic shirt came at a considerable cost. A red card in his first ever cup final against Rangers in the 2019 League Cup threatened to spoil Frimpong's big day, but his performance beyond that flashpoint belied his lack of experience as Celtic held on to win 1-0.
Frimpong was a small and slight player in the unforgiving world of Scottish Football. He could so easily have struggled to adapt, but his technical ability, allied to his sheer work rate and determination, regularly had Celtic fans on the edge of their seats.
Whilst Celtic were on the slide during the 2020/21 campaign, Jeremie Frimpong was sold to Bayer Leverkusen for £11.5m. Now 23-years-old, Frimpong played a key role in Leverkusen's historic Bundesliga title win, and with a £34m summer release clause in his contract, Celtic could be set to bank a sizeable chunk of the profit, having inserted a 30% sell-on clause into Frimpong's contract.
Frimpong's sale could net Celtic a further £6.8m, taking the club's overall profit to around £18m for a player who cost just £350k from Manchester City five years ago.
On the man who gave him his first chance in professional football, Frimpong had this to say on Neil Lennon, "I love him 'til this day. He loves me. Our relationship was like father and son.
"Sometimes the players would say go and speak to your dad and things like that. After we won the (League) Cup I think I ran to him and we both started laughing."
One of the most likeable and talented players Celtic have had in the last decade, Jeremie Frimpong has developed into a world-class talent since he left Glasgow. Credit to the club for plucking him from the Man City academy, and credit to Neil Lennon for having faith in him as a teenager.
James McKenzie // @JamesWHMcKenzie