Jérémy Doku

Jérémy Baffour Doku (born 27 May 2002) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a winger for club Manchester City and the Belgium national team.

Doku began his senior professional career with Anderlecht, during the 2018–19 season, where he went on to score five goals in 34 league appearances over several seasons. In 2020, he joined Ligue 1 club Rennes, going on to make 75 appearances and netting ten goals, before signing for Manchester City in August 2023 for €65 million.

Doku was called up to the senior Belgium squad in 2020, having played at every youth level since the under-15s and represented his nation at UEFA Euro 2020, the 2022 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2024.

Anderlecht
Doku began playing football at a young age in Antwerp for KVC Olympic Deurne and Tubantia Borgerhout; then he played for Beerschot. Later on, he moved to Anderlecht in 2012 at the age of 10. He made his professional debut with Anderlecht in a 4–2 Belgian First Division A loss to Sint-Truiden on 25 November 2018, at the age of 16. He was the seventh-youngest player to make his professional debut for Anderlecht, aged 16 years, 5 months and 26 days.

On 1 December 2019, he scored his first professional goal in the league match against KV Oostende, and four days later he also opened his account in the Belgian Cup against Royal Excel Mouscron. On 2 March 2020, Doku scored two goals and provided an assist in the 7–0 win against Zulte Waregem.

2020–2022: Debut season and injury problems
On 5 October 2020, Doku signed for Rennes for five years, for €26 million in addition to bonuses, becoming the most expensive signing in the history of the club. The youngster struggled to make an impact in the first months at the new club, but started to pick up his form in December, contributing two assists against Marseille and Lorient. Doku scored his first goal for Rennes on 20 March 2021, against Metz, but was sent off for a bad challenge later in the same match.

In his second season at Rennes, Doku scored one goal in Ligue 1, having been limited to only 14 appearances by various injuries. He started four matches and managed a total of 469 minutes over the course of the league campaign. On 2 January 2022, Doku scored the opening goal against Nancy in the fourth round of the Coupe de France; however, Rennes lost the match 5–4 on penalties, after the 120 minutes ended with the score 1–1.

2022–2023: Return to form and departure
In the first part of the 2022–23 season, Doku was mostly brought on as a substitute by Rennes manager Bruno Génésio, but he returned to being a starter in the final months of the season. Following the departure of Kamaldeen Sulemana in the winter transfer window, Doku was handed the number 10 shirt, having previously worn number 11.

On 12 February 2023, in a 3–1 defeat against Toulouse, Doku played the full 90 minutes for the first time since 9 May 2021. Doku had an assist in each of the two legs of Europa League's knockout round play-off against Shakhtar Donetsk, but was unable to prevent his team from being eliminated from the tournament. On 15 April, Doku scored his first brace for Rennes in a 3–0 home victory over Reims. The two goals against Reims were the first for Doku on Rennes' home ground Roazhon Park since he arrived at the club.

On 30 April, Doku had another brace against Angers, securing his team a 4–2 win after scoring the final two goals in the second half. On 21 May, he scored the third goal in Rennes' 5–0 win away against Ajaccio, a solo effort for which he started his run with the ball towards the opposition's goal from inside his team's half. Doku finished the season with six goals in the league, helping Rennes to a fourth-place finish.

On 13 August, Doku scored a goal in Rennes' 5–1 win against Metz in their first match of the 2023–24 Ligue 1 season. He played his final match for Rennes on 20 August, as a substitute in a 1–1 draw against Lens. The next day, it was reported that Rennes accepted a £55 million (€65 million) offer from English club Manchester City for the transfer of Doku to the Premier League champions. According to The Guardian, both club and player rejected an official bid from West Ham United before finalising the agreement with City.

Manchester City
On 24 August 2023, City confirmed the signing of Doku on a five-year contract. He was presented with the number 11 shirt for the 2023–24 season. On 2 September, he made his debut for City in a 5–1 win against Fulham at the Etihad Stadium. On 16 September, he scored his first goal in a 3–1 away win over West Ham United. After the match, City manager Pep Guardiola stated that he did not expect that kind of performance from Doku in his second appearance for the new club, calling him a "proper winger" and further adding "the way he played today, I don't remember something like that since a long time ago".

On 4 October, Doku scored his first UEFA Champions League goal in the group game against German team RB Leipzig, rounding off a counterattack in stoppage time to convert Julián Álvarez's pass, sealing City's 3–1 win. The goal followed a reversal of the roles between the two players, as only a few minutes earlier Álvarez scored City's second goal from Doku's assist. Doku had another assist to Álvarez on 22 October, in the Premier League match against Brighton & Hove Albion, which City won 2-1. He was named player of the match after repeatedly beating James Milner on the left side during the game; former City player Paul Dickov commented that he "felt sorry for Milner" after the match, and that Doku looked a threat "every time he has the ball".

On 4 November, Doku scored the opening goal and added four assists in a 6–1 win over Bournemouth, becoming the youngest player in Premier League history at 21 years and 161 days of age to provide four assists and have five direct goal involvements in a single match. With the four assists, Doku tied the Premier League record for most assists in a match and was given the player of the match award for his performance. On 3 December 2023 against Tottenham, Doku suffered a hamstring injury that kept him on the sidelines for a month. On 7 January he returned in the third round of the FA Cup against Huddersfield Town, scoring the final goal in a 5–0 win for Manchester City, his first in English cup competitions.

On 13 April, Doku was voted man of the match in the 5–1 win against Luton Town, after he scored a goal, made an assist to Joško Gvardiol, and won a penalty which was converted by Erling Haaland. On 17 April, Doku entered the Champions League semifinal return leg against Real Madrid as a substitute and made the cross for Kevin De Bruyne's equalizing goal in the second half, in addition to creating several other chances. After the match Pep Guardiola stated that Doku changed the game with his chance creation. On 20 April, in the FA Cup semifinal match against Chelsea, Doku had similar impact, as once again he entered in the second half and had a major contribution in Bernardo Silva's winning goal. Former Manchester City winger Shaun Wright-Phillips had a similar comment after the match as the Manchester City manager few days earlier: "Doku coming on changed the game for us. He was fantastic, he just brings something different against the low block".

On 19 May, Doku assisted Phil Foden's second goal in Manchester City's 3–1 win against West Ham in the final match of the season, which sealed the title in the Premier League, first in Doku's career. He was one of only three players aged under 21 who had eleven or more combined league goals and assists in the 2023–24 season, together with Rasmus Højlund and Alejandro Garnacho. On 25 May, Doku scored in the FA Cup final against Manchester United, but his team lost 2–1 failing to lift the double.

International career
Doku represented the Belgium U17s at the 2018 UEFA European Under-17 Championship. and the 2019 UEFA European Under-17 Championship

He made his first appearance for the Belgium national team on 5 September 2020 against Denmark in the UEFA Nations League. Three days later, he scored his first goal for the Belgium national team in a 5–1 win against Iceland.

In the UEFA Euro 2020, held in June 2021, Doku was one of the substitutes for the Belgium national team in their group stage match against Denmark, and was included in the starting line-up for the subsequent game against Finland; he was again named to the starting 11 for Belgium's quarter-final 2–1 loss against Italy.

In November 2022, Doku was called up by manager Roberto Martínez to the Belgium squad that would compete for the 2022 FIFA World Cup held in Qatar. He made his World Cup debut as a substitute in Belgium's final group match against Croatia.

After Eden Hazard's post-World Cup retirement from the Belgium national team, Doku was given a more prominent role in the squad by new manager Domenico Tedesco. On 12 September 2023, Doku had an assist in the 5–0 win over Estonia in the Group F qualifiers for the UEFA Euro 2024, and was subsequently given the man of the match award. In Belgium's next qualifying match on 13 October, against Austria, Doku helped the national team to a 3–2 win and the securing of qualification for the Euro 2024, as he provided the assist for Romelu Lukaku's winning goal. On 22 November, Doku provided two assists in Belgium's 5–0 win against Azerbaijan.

Doku was a starter in all of Belgium's UEFA Euro 2024 matches. Despite his team's elimination in the first knockout round by France, Doku completed 34 dribbles, more than any other player at the tournament. The second best on the list Lamine Yamal had 32 dribbles while playing three more matches than Doku.

Style of play
Doku is equally comfortable playing on the left wing and on the right wing. According to The Athletic, Doku is "a ball-to-feet winger who constantly changes his positioning to present himself as a progressive passing option". Doku is naturally right-footed, but he also has a strong left foot which he often uses to shoot at the goal after cutting in from the right side or cross from the left. An extremely quick and explosive player with great acceleration, agility, balance and body strength, Doku is most known for his elite dribbling skills, flair and trickery. His low centre of gravity, body control, unpredictable footwork and rapid change of pace has helped him become one of the world's most effective forwards in one-on-one situations. Doku's signature move is the shoulder drop ("the chop"), putting his right foot over the ball and making a feint towards the inside, forcing the defender to lean in, followed by a sudden burst to the right, as he keeps the ball under close control. He also frequently uses a drag-back spin move when backed against defenders, turning quickly and advancing up the pitch.

As a youth player, Doku was called "arrogant" for his tendency to wait for opposition defenders to recover so he could repeatedly beat them with the ball. Doku declared himself in 2021 "the best dribbler in Ligue 1". Due to his directness, he draws a lot of fouls from opponents, having received a foul once every 35 minutes on average, resulting with him being the tenth-most-fouled player in Ligue 1 in 2023. Doku also possesses excellent vision and crossing ability, completing more than 80 percent of his passes; however, he has been criticised for his lack of end product, having scored 9 league goals in his first three seasons at Rennes.

Due to his direct playing style and African heritage, Doku has often drawn comparisons with Senegalese forward Sadio Mané. He is also frequently compared to Belgian compatriot Eden Hazard and is seen as his successor in the Belgium national team. Doku considers Hazard to be his idol. He also cited Lionel Messi and Ronaldinho as influential in the early development of his footballing profile.

Reception
The comparisons between Doku and Sadio Mané were sparked by German manager Jürgen Klopp, who allegedly made the comment to Doku's father as he was trying to recruit the youngster to Premier League side Liverpool in 2017. Upon calling up Doku for the Euro 2020, Belgium manager Roberto Martínez described him as "an exceptional talent who is very strong one on one". Martínez also praised Doku ahead of the World Cup in 2022, saying: "When I talk about him, I have to smile. He's one of those players who can bring magic to his game." In April 2023, former Arsenal captain Thierry Henry called Doku "extraordinary", adding that "he has never seen anyone so quick in his dribble". Former France international Samir Nasri, who was briefly Doku's teammate at Anderlecht, dubbed Doku "an explosive dribbler" possessing "crazy quality" in one on one situations, predicting Doku will become one of the 20 best players in the world in the future. Former Anderlecht and Belgium forward Paul Van Himst echoed Nasri's words in October 2023 speaking for Voetbal Krant, as he anticipated Doku will become one of the best players in the world within a year. Reflecting on the player who he had known as his grandson's teammate from the U16 and U18 levels at Anderlecht, Van Himst heaped praise on Doku: "He is terribly fast, has so many qualities, what is good for him is that he is an individualist, but now that he left for Manchester City he will learn to play in a team".

Profiling the player for The Athletic, Ahmed Walid says: "Whether it’s in tight spaces or in transition, Doku's ability to dribble past defenders makes them look as if they are defending at normal speed and that he is in fast forward". Belgian football commentator Sacha Tavolieri has highlighted Doku's strength and his ability to "make incredible differences over two or three meters", while Frank Eeckhout, a journalist for the Belgian daily Het Laatste Nieuws, evoking Doku's time at Anderlecht, noted that "opposing players often had to commit faults to stop him and he caused quite a few yellow and red cards".

After two months of working with Doku since his transfer to Manchester City from Rennes, manager Pep Guardiola has expressed surprise about the player's decision-making ability, saying "he reads every action and knows what to do, it's incredible how he can change the rhythm in five metres but when he is not able to do that he is able to take good decisions". Guardiola said that when Doku has the ball he always creates something for the crowd, and "everyone gets excited - myself too!". In the post-match interview after Doku recorded four assists against Bournemouth on 4 November 2023, the former FC Barcelona coach stated that "normally there are a lot of wingers that go inside, but this guy, you don't know what he's going to do".

Both teammates and opponents have singled out Doku for his talent. Kevin De Bruyne called Doku "a diamond in the rough" after the forward's debut for the Belgium national team in 2020. In an interview for Belgian media outlet Eleven in 2023, Rennes and Belgium defender Arthur Theate stated that “it’s impossible to defend against Jérémy Doku”. In 2021, PSG star Kylian Mbappé said “recently, I was speaking with my father about a player who impressed me because of his speed, and that is Doku at Rennes”, adding that “in five years as a professional, I have never seen someone demonstrate so much power from a standing start."

Personal life
Doku was born in Antwerp, Belgium, and is of Ghanaian descent. He is the second child of David and Belinda and has one older brother and two younger sisters. His father is a former athlete, while his brother Jefferson was a part of Anderlecht's youth academy. Despite Doku's passion for football from a young age, his parents were focused on giving their youngest son an education, as he attended primary school in Antwerp and then a boarding school in Brussels while training between classes.

International

 * Scores and results list Belgium's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Doku goal

Honours
Manchester City
 * Premier League: 2023–24
 * FIFA Club World Cup: 2023