GIOVANNI VAN BRONCKHORST found himself in the right place at the right time at Rangers as he took his next stop on the road that ultimately led to the top of the game with club and country.
And the Ibrox boss hopes Calvin Bassey follows his example by using his Light Blues career as the perfect stepping stone that delivers silverware and offers opportunity in the coming years.
Van Bronckhorst arrived in Glasgow from Feyenoord in the summer of 1998. By the end of the season, he was a Treble winner and a hero to a support that watched Dick Advocaat's side with such appreciation.
Another SPL title and Scottish Cup soon followed. Come 2001, it was time for the Dutchman to take his game on once again and Arsenal became his next destination in an £8million move.
The rest, they say, is history. Honours in England preceded domestic and European glories with Barcelona and a run to the World Cup final as Van Bronckhorst's legacy in the game was enshrined.
His story is testament to the virtue of patience, of moving when the moment is right rather than when the money dictates and a handful of his players would do well to follow his example at Ibrox.
Bassey is one such figure. His remarkable rise and rise last term, topped off by Man of the Match showings in the Europa League and Scottish Cup finals, saw speculation over his future ramp up and talk of big-money switches to the Premier League gather pace.
In time, the Nigerian will leave, and he will do so for significant sums. If he is seeking guidance on when to know when the grass will be greener, he only has to talk to his boss.
"You never know," Van Bronckhorst said when asked about talk of Bassey moving on this summer. "Of course the potential he has is big, the potential also that a team will notice he has.
"He came in, he is very sharp, he is very energetic and happy. I think it is good for him to keep going, keep going, and to give everything he has to this team, which he has done so far really well.
"I had the same. I came here in ’98 after the World Cup and had three good years with Rangers and then I moved on to Arsenal and to the Premier League.
"I think that is also a path that many players will do. If you see the squad, Joe (Aribo) played for three years and we have reached a level now where I think he can reach another level being involved in the strongest league in the world.
"We have [Glen] Kamara as well, who is talented and came here. That is what you want as well and that is also what being a successful team in Scotland brings with it.
"I am more than happy to help Calvin in his development and to make sure he comes to reach a level where everyone will say ‘well, the best thing for him is to move on’. They are all winners.
"The club is a winner because we developed him and we will get a transfer fee. And the player as well, he will have a fantastic time here then move on."
If it had been suggested this time last year that Bassey would have become arguably Rangers' most prized asset in transfer terms, the notion would have been dismissed out of hand. Now, though, the versatile defender has the world at his feet and a sizeable pricetag on his head.
Capable of playing left-back or centre-back, his pace and power instantly make him stand out. Over the season, his technical and tactical attributes were honed at an incredible rate and Bassey is now an integral part of the side that Van Bronckhorst is preparing for the new campaign.
"I think it is a process that you want as a coach," Van Bronckhorst said. "I am the manager, I am responsible for the process and developing my players, but the more players that are involved in that process, especially the experienced guys who have played so many games at various levels, they will help the guys as well.
"If we continue to do that we become stronger as a team and the talented players will develop. Of course the development of Calvin last season was fantastic.
"He can be very good. I always remember the first game we played at Hibs away and he had to come in because Leon went off.
"He came in and the first action he had was pressing on the midfield and he is a serious physical presence. The next day I saw him at the training ground and I remembered that action and I told him ‘that is what I want from you when you play’.
"He is fantastic. He is a player who is at the beginning of his career but also a player who is open for coaching.
"He wants to develop himself and hopefully we can have him longer here because I think his development needs to be a couple of years more before he reaches the level that he will be comfortable to get into a new team."
The last year has been the best of Bassey's career but there is still plenty more to come from the 22-year-old as he enters his third season at Ibrox and strives for success at home and abroad once again this term.
Life at a club of such stature and in a team that operates under such pressure has undoubtedly helped his development. So have the words of wisdom of those in an experienced squad around him.
Van Bronckhorst said: "I think it is very important because those are players who have played and have a lot of years and experience for the club.
"I think you always have to have a good mix with experienced players, who know the club really well and what it means to be a Rangers player.
"We have a large group of players who will come into the prime of their careers and we have talented players coming through the academy. I think we have a good mix to develop the older players."
