Vincent Mannaert was there at the start of the story. He has been an opponent, an advisor and a boss. Today, he is just a friend of Philippe Clement, and a proud one at that.

In the coming weeks, the next chapter of Clement’s life and times will be finalised. It could have a fairy tale ending. Clement stands just five matches away from the Premiership title and six from a domestic treble as he seeks to add the Scottish Cup to the League Cup that he lifted just weeks after he was appointed at Ibrox. The transformation in fortunes and lure of further glories comes as no surprise to Mannaert.

The paths that once crossed on the park quickly diverged. Clement’s career saw him become a title winner in Belgium on two occasions, as well as lifting seven cups with Club Brugge after a maiden medal success at Genk in 1998. That same season, he was named in the World Cup squad. Mannaert, meanwhile, completed a law degree at the Vrije Universiteit in Brussels and went on to become chief executive officer at the Belgian giants where Clement enjoyed some of his finest hours.

“I am very pleased,” Mannaert tells the Rangers Review as he assessed Clement’s impact at Ibrox and the job that he has done since succeeding Michael Beale in October. “Philippe and myself have known each other for a very long time and since we were both playing, he was at the beginning of a fantastic career and me at the beginning of a less bright career! We met first as opponents in the Second Division in Belgium when he was playing for Beerschot. It was just as opponents. We met each other again when I was working as a lawyer for players and coaches. I met him again and we had a click then. I advised him on some things when he was a player, related to his career, some sponsorships. We were always in contact and then Philippe made the move to Brugge.”

That return to the Jan Breydel Stadium came earlier than expected. Clement still had time to run on his contract and minutes in his legs at Germinal Beerschot but a call from Mannaert changed his course. It was, though, always a path that the defender seemed destined to go down.

Aimé Anthuenis, his mentor at Genk and the manager when Clement earned his first medal as a professional, noted a sense of leadership within a student of the game, one who asked questions and listened to the answers. As Mannaert points out, Clement is one of the few Belgians of his era who has been able to transition from player to manager and enjoy success in both vocations.

His first stint as a manager in his own right didn’t arrive until he joined Waasland-Beveren in 2017. By that stage, Clement had already emerged as one of the most respected young coaches in his homeland and had been in the dugout in his own right. Brugge turned to him on an interim basis following the sacking of Georges Leekens and he also filled in when Juan Carlos Garrido was dismissed, his work ultimately earning him the role of assistant manager to Michel Preud'homme. It was a golden era for the club in black and blue.

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Philippe Clement (right) with ex-assistant Johan van Rumst (left) during their spell at Beveren

“When I moved to Brugge as the CEO, I called him when he was at the end of his career and still had a one-year contract as a player,” Mannaert says. “I said it was time to stop as a player and he should come to Brugge and become coach of the Under-21 team. He took the decision, he stopped as a player and came to Brugge.

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"He was one of the icons there, he played for ten years and was captain of the team with a great track record and he also played for Belgium. He came in 2011 and did a great job as Under-21 coach and then he became assistant coach. He took over when the head coach was sacked a couple of times. He was together with Michel Preud'homme and was at the start of the big successes.”

Brugge were champions in season 2017/18 and won three titles between 2020 and 2022. The team that broke the sequence was Genk. The manager who broke the sequence was Clement.

Mannaert describes Clement’s return to Brugge as him coming ‘back through the big gate’. Had Monaco not come calling and put a proposal that Clement could not refuse on the table, he would surely have made it three out of three. If he had, it is unlikely that he would be in Glasgow today. In an interview during his time out of the game, Clement spoke about the difficulties of being a Belgian boss and how he did not have a network of compatriots across different leagues that clubs would look at, almost to copy each other when a certain style of coach is in vogue. In that regard, Clement is perhaps a leader in the field and a move to one of the 'Big Five' leagues remains an ambition further down the line.

The sustained success in his homeland played an important role in Clement ending up at Ibrox. He had quickly emerged as one of the front-runners to replace Beale and the fact that he was a proven winner, one who could reach the peak for a second time after climbing the summit with a squad, was an integral factor for the Ibrox interview panel.

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Clement did not just have belief in his own principles, he had the actions to support the words. Yet the secrets to his achievements are not just tactical or technical ones. He is a man manager and a people person, his charisma is matched by his authority. His players have referenced the clarity of his messages and there is a bond between the men that wear the jerseys and the fans that worship the badge. Clement places demands on himself and those who work with him and for him, but he has empathy and understanding and he has often referenced the importance of the collective as confidence levels have risen and a camaraderie has been forged.

Like Mannaert, Clement also studied law earlier in his life. He also had a passion for engineering and his time at Genk, then a side in the Second Division, allowed him to combine his sporting ambitions with his academia. Clement recently celebrated his 50th birthday, an occasion he marked with a return home to see friends and family. Rangers were still at the forefront of his mind, though, and the methods that stood him in such good stead at Brugge continue to work for him at Ibrox.

“He is similar as a player and a coach,” Mannaert says. “He is a very hard-working person, he believes in hard work and preparation. As a player, he was also a leader, he was a captain for many years at Brugge. You see that leadership coming back as a coach, he leads a group. He prepares himself very well. He is analytically very strong, he is able to get out the angle of the opponent, and he combines that with emotional leadership.

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"He knows also from his time as a captain in a dressing room that you have different cultures, different personalities and every player is an individual who has his own guidance needs. That is something that is a combination of a hard-working manager with very strong analytics who also is able to understand the psychology of an individual player and the impact of culture. That is very rare.”

That process started with the captain at Rangers. James Tavernier was the first player that Clement spoke to as he gained an insight into the inner workings of the dressing room and the good, the bad and the ugly aspects of a squad that had failed to deliver in the opening weeks of the season. Over the days that followed, time was spent with every player to ensure that Clement had the full picture. Those who were once marginalised have been brought into the body of the group and no player can say that they have not been given a fair crack and chance to catch the eye.

Before he could determine where Rangers could head, he had to know where they were. Like at Beveren, Genk and Brugge, the impact has been immediate and a title win this season could arguably rank as Clement’s finest achievement in the dugout. Even if Rangers fall short, Clement has done enough to suggest that he is definitely on the right track at Ibrox and that the story he refers to will have a happy ending for a support and squad that have bought into the Belgian.

“It starts with individual talks and those can be long talks, depending on the needs of the player,” Mannaert says. “He starts with trying to know who is the person behind the player. He has a gift for that. That is the start. Then he knows all the different characters and personalities and starts to create a real group, a team, out of that.

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"He wants everyone involved in the common goals. He will set goals and he wants everyone to be part of that goal, not only the players but also the staff. This combination of having those individual relationships and having them involved in the collective goals, defines a high-quality manager.”

When Monaco came calling, Clement felt he had to make the move. His time in the Principality was not as glamorous as the surroundings but talents - including Aurélien Tchouameni, now of Real Madrid, and Chelsea's Benoît Badashile, both of whom sent messages of appreciation to Clement - were honed before Mannaert points to him being the ‘victim of a fight at board level and ownership level’ after just 18 months at Stade Louis II. That experience has shaped Clement but it has not seen him deviate from his principles and his practices.

An approach from Leeds United was not taken any further during his time in Ligue 1, while megabucks offers in less notable divisions were never going to entice a man who has an appreciation of the greats of the game. The fit of Clement and Rangers was timely given their respective situations, but the bond goes deeper than that. It has only been strengthened since.

“For me, it is not a surprise that he is doing well in other countries,” Mannaert, who left Brugge in November last year, adds. “Now he is doing very well at a big club like Rangers. We have frequent contact. He had other options, he could have earned so much more money at another club but he was triggered by the tradition, the history and the authenticity of Rangers. That is also typical for him, he values these things because he is an authentic football person who has respect for tradition and for the DNA of a team and a club.”

When it comes to the identity of a club, an institution, it is clear what the hallmarks of Rangers are. Clement is in a league and a city where second is last, where winning is all that matters. The unique environment and the incessant demands always weigh heavily on the shoulders of those who sign up at Ibrox and it is very much a case of survival of the fittest.

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Talk of bottle and mentality can often become cliché but those characteristics cannot be overlooked at times. Clement ticks that box, too. The slogan ‘No Sweat, No Glory’ was adopted during Clement’s time at the Jan Breydel Stadium and it encapsulated the man who was leading the pursuit of domestic glories and European progression with his brand of dominant football that saw Brugge punch above their weight.

“Don’t forget that Philipe was a great player, he was playing in the Champions League and he played in the World Cup with Belgium,” Mannaert says. “Like so many years, he was used to pressure on this level. Also as a coach. With Genk it is perhaps different because they were an underdog, if you like, but the moment he stepped into Brugge as a head coach he was very aware of the pressure that was on him. He is intelligent so he knows that he doesn’t have to go on that wave of enthusiasm and emotion. Yes, he can have a party, for sure. But it will only be one after the final result.”

In time, Clement will have the opportunity to remodel the Ibrox squad in his own image rather than just mould what he was given to the best of his abilities. When that moment comes, he will utilise the lessons of Brugge and understand Rangers’ place in the food chain as a buyer, a developer and a seller. The model was, for Mannaert, not about choosing 'between the chicken or the egg' but instead going for both. In short, Brugge, had to win all the time whilst selling their best players.

Come the summer, those decisions will be weighed up by Clement and Nils Koppen, the director of football recruitment, as the Ibrox investors are asked to provide funds once again. If Clement could win the Premiership and cash a Champions League cheque, it would make those conversations somewhat simpler. That is, of course, easier said than done but the manager will not be daunted by the football or financial implications of what lies ahead during the next six fixtures.

“For now, I know him, he will be the most controlled and stable element in the whole club," Mannaert continues. "Rangers have come from far. He knows, he has the experience to cope with this. I know he is really impressed with the greatness and the size of the club, but he is one of the few people who will cope with this in a very good way. The way he will handle it is just to continue to do what they have been doing. It is working every day, focusing on the next game and play and work as a team. That will not change in the last games of the season.”

That match will be held at Hampden. By the time Clement leads his side out for the Scottish Cup final, he could have delivered a title that few believed could be won back in October. He has always had that faith and it has not been diminished during Rangers’ recent struggles against Motherwell, Celtic, Ross County and Dundee.

When a strike from Tavernier secured the League Cup in the days after the historic win in Seville, Clement and his players gathered on the balcony at New Edmiston House to celebrate with supporters. It was soon back to business. That will be the case if a 56th league flag can be added to the Trophy Room wall but a clean sweep domestically could spark scenes that have not been seen for quite some time if Rangers return from the National Stadium with red, white and blue ribbons on a third piece of silverware.

“Absolutely, he likes to enjoy these moments,” Mannaert says. “I was lucky to have some parties with him. We had great results in the Champions League and had a draw with PSG - with Messi, with Neymar, with Mbappe - and we had a draw in the Bernabeu against Real. Moreover, we had great celebrations when we won the title. I can tell you that he is a terrible singer, that he is even worse as a dancer! But he can sing and dance like you have never seen before. I think if there were a new dance to invent, they will call it the Clement Dance. It is pretty special, I can tell you. I hope to see it, for sure. It helps that Rangers are also blue like Brugge so we will be supporting him fully.”