Jérémy Doku

Jérémy Baffour Doku (born 27 May 2002) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Premier League club Manchester City and the Belgium national team. He is most known for his speed and dribbling ability.

Doku first gained prominence at Anderlecht as a 17-year-old before spending three years at Ligue 1 club Rennes. Manchester City signed him in August 2023 for €65 million; he won the Premier League title in his debut season.

Since 2020, Doku has been a regular Belgian international, having represented the nation in every youth level since the under-15s, and played at UEFA Euro 2020, the 2022 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2024.

Club career

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.

Rennes

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

2023–2024: Adaptation and first league title

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 City of Manchester 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 had 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 against Tottenham, Doku suffered a hamstring injury that kept him on the sidelines for a month. On 7 January 2024, 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 semi-final return leg against Real Madrid as a substitute and made the cross for Kevin De Bruyne's equalising 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 semi-final match against Chelsea, Doku had similar impact, as once again he came on 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, thus failing to lift the double.