Jérémy Doku
 Doku with Anderlecht in 2019
| |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jérémy Baffour Doku | ||
| Date of birth | 27 May 2002 | ||
| Place of birth | Antwerp, Belgium | ||
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Winger | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team |
Manchester City | ||
| Number | 11 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2007 | KVC Olympic Deurne | ||
| 2007–2009 | Tubantia Borgerhout | ||
| 2009–2012 | Beerschot | ||
| 2012–2018 | Anderlecht | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2018–2020 | Anderlecht | 34 | (5) |
| 2020–2023 | Rennes | 75 | (10) |
| 2023– | Manchester City | 13 | (2) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2017 | Belgium U15 | 5 | (2) |
| 2017–2018 | Belgium U16 | 10 | (3) |
| 2018–2019 | Belgium U17 | 16 | (6) |
| 2019–2022 | Belgium U21 | 6 | (1) |
| 2020– | Belgium | 18 | (2) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:16, 31 January 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 19 November 2023 (UTC) | |||
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.
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 and the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
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 R.S.C. 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 AS 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 AC 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 RC 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, City confirmed the signing of Doku on a five-year deal. 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, as 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 AFC 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.
International career
Doku represented the Belgium U17s at the 2018 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.
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 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.
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 31 January 2024
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Anderlecht | 2018–19 | Belgian Pro League | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | ||
| 2019–20 | Belgian Pro League | 21 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | 24 | 4 | ||||
| 2020–21 | Belgian Pro League | 7 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 7 | 2 | |||||
| Total | 34 | 5 | 3 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 6 | |||
| Rennes | 2020–21 | Ligue 1 | 30 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | — | 37 | 2 | ||
| 2021–22 | Ligue 1 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | 3 | 0 | — | 18 | 2 | |||
| 2022–23 | Ligue 1 | 29 | 6 | 2 | 1 | — | 4 | 0 | — | 35 | 7 | |||
| 2023–24 | Ligue 1 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | |||||
| Total | 75 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 92 | 12 | ||
| Manchester City | 2023–24 | Premier League | 13 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 4 |
| Career total | 122 | 17 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 150 | 21 | ||
- Includes Belgian Cup, Coupe de France, FA Cup
- Includes EFL Cup
- Appearances in UEFA Champions League
- Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
- Appearances in UEFA Europa League
International
- As of match played 19 November 2023
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | 2020 | 5 | 1 |
| 2021 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 6 | 0 | |
| Total | 18 | 2 | |
- Scores and results list Belgium's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Doku goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 September 2020 | King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium | Iceland | 5–1 | 5–1 | 2020–21 UEFA Nations League A | |
| 2 | 30 March 2021 | Den Dreef, Leuven, Belgium | Belarus | 4–0 | 8–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |