Jeremy Doku: The making of Manchester City’s relentless wing wizard
In a 3–0 win that underlined City’s Premier League dominance, the 22-year-old Belgian turned the match into a showcase of controlled chaos, dismantling defenders with poise and conviction.
You could feel the Etihad rise with each touch.
Rising to the Occasion
Doku’s performance wasn’t about one highlight moment. It was 90 minutes of fearless attacking intent — the kind of all-around display that defines great wingers. His showing brought echoes of Thierry Henry’s hat trick against Liverpool in 2004 and David Silva’s orchestration of City’s 6–1 demolition of Manchester United in 2011.
According to Sky Sports, no Premier League player had influenced a match in quite the same statistical way since Eden Hazard’s 2019 masterclass — when a player last won seven duels, completed seven dribbles, created three chances and registered three shots on target. Doku did it against Liverpool, one of City’s fiercest rivals and a recent European champion.
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“In big games, there is always more exposure and more beauty,” Doku told Sky Sports. And when the stage gets brighter, he seems to shine harder.
A slow burn pays off
When City paid £55.5 million ($73m) to sign Doku from Rennes in 2023, many questioned the fee for a player still finding his rhythm. His daring style sometimes clashed with Pep Guardiola’s meticulous system.
But the flashes were unmistakable. On his home debut against Fulham, fans rose to their feet each time he received the ball. He scored against West Ham soon after, then made Premier League history versus Bournemouth — becoming the youngest player to record five goal involvements in a single match (four assists and a goal), according to Opta.
Then came a six-week injury spell. Doku went 10 games without a goal or assist, his role shrinking to that of an impact substitute. The experience, though, sharpened his focus.
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“That period helped me understand how much I wanted to prove myself,” he said recently.
Pep’s evolving trust
Guardiola’s relationship with Doku has blended tough love with open admiration.
“I think he will never be a top scorer, to be honest,” Guardiola said after Sunday’s win. “But he listens, and he has special attributes of dribbling. He was aggressive with and without the ball.”
Last season, Guardiola criticised Doku for losing possession and even benched him in key Champions League games. Now, Doku has earned his trust — starting 11 of City’s 17 matches this season and every European fixture so far.
Like Jack Grealish and Josko Gvardiol before him, Doku needed time to absorb Guardiola’s tactical demands. The difference is that he has done so without losing the instinctive flair that makes him unpredictable.
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From Antwerp to the Etihad
That unpredictability was forged long before City. Growing up in Antwerp, Doku spent hours on concrete pitches with his brother Jefferson, dribbling until dusk. His style — head down, daring defenders to take the ball — was already unmistakable when he joined Anderlecht’s academy at age 10.
Thierry Henry, who worked with Doku in the Belgium national setup, once called him a player with “zero limits but in need of guidance.” Speaking to CBS Sports, Henry explained: “He can finish, but sometimes you need to slow down and re-accelerate to see the big picture.”
That understanding now defines Doku’s evolution — learning when to wait, when to accelerate, and when to devastate.
“Sexy football,” says Keane
Even the harshest critics couldn’t hide their admiration. “I’d watch it all day,” Roy Keane said on Sky Sports. “Sexy football, fantastic. I love watching goals like that.”
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Former City defender Micah Richards added: “He’s taken his game to the next level. We used to see him run down blind alleys — now he picks the right moments.”
Ex-striker Daniel Sturridge praised what he calls “the wand” — Doku’s signature feint-and-burst move. “That skill always works for him,” he said. “When he decides to go, he’s unstoppable.”
Playing without fear
For Doku, the change runs deeper than tactics. After being baptised following the Manchester derby in September, he says his faith has grounded him.
"What changed for me this season is I’ve got God in my life,” he told Sky Sports. “I want to play without fear or doubt.”
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He also credits his teammates. “They believe in me, and that gives me the feeling that I have to do more every game,” he said. “Every day, I want to improve.”
And as Liverpool learned the hard way, a confident Jeremy Doku is a nightmare to contain.
The bigger picture
Doku’s rise mirrors Manchester City’s wider evolution under Guardiola — a balance of structure and freedom, control and chaos. Once seen as a raw project, he now embodies the manager’s ideal winger: disciplined yet daring, technical yet fearless.
If this trajectory continues, that £55 million may soon look like one of City’s smartest signings.
Sources: Sky Sports, Opta, CBS Sports, Reuters, BBC, AP
