Belgium winger Jeremy Doku is City’s latest signing to join Pep Guardiola’s Treble-winning squad.

The 21-year-old has joined City from Ligue 1 side Stade Rennais on a five-year deal, making him Guardiola’s third signing of the summer.  

Here are 10 things you may or may not know about our new man… 

BACKGROUND

Born in Antwerp, Belgium, Doku is one of four children to parents David and Belinda. Doku is the second oldest with two younger sisters and an older brother.  

He was also born into a family of sporting decent, with his father a former athlete while his brother Jefferson was part of Anderlecht’s youth academy.  

DESTINED FOR FOOTBALL? 

And it seems like football was written in the stars for Doku who grew up with football on his doorstep.   

Royal Antwerp’s ground, the Bosuil Stadium, a six-minute drive away from the house in which he grew up in.  

He often heard a faint hum of the fans cheering during the matches. 

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STORMING THE INTERNATIONAL STAGE  

It’s not just club level where Doku is rapidly progressing his style of play, fast tracking his way to Belgium’s senior team having had impressive spells at Anderlecht and Rennes.  

Having featured for his national team at Under-15, Under-16, Under-17 and Under-21 level, Doku was promoted to the senior team at 18 years old. 

He made his debut against Denmark in the UEFA Nations League on 5 September 2020. Three days later he scored his first senior goal for Belgium in their 5-1 win over Iceland. 

DRIBBLING PHENOMENON  

Doku’s grabbed international attention for his ability to carry the ball with confidence and style.  

During the 2020 Euros, the then 19-year-old featured in Belgium’s quarter-final 2-1 defeat to Italy. 

Despite the result, Doku completed eight dribbles, a record for a teenager in the history of the competition.  

For his former club Rennes, Doku set a new league record for most successful dribbles in a single game, completing 12 against Bordeaux.  

DOKU AND DE BRUYNE 

Once hailed as The Belgian Flash by talent scouts, the 21-year-old has been flaunting his pace and ball carrying abilities in Ligue 1.  

His statistics have been likened to our very own Kevin De Bruyne who he has already been learning from on the international stage.  

Doku has an average of 6.5 successful take-ons per 90 minutes, ranking him in the top one per cent of midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues, courtesy of fbref.  

Similar to De Bruyne, Doku’s key passes statistics are eye-catching. While the former has been averaging 3.57 key passes at the Etihad, Doku has been averaging 2.09, a statistic which has seen continuous improvement during his tenure at Rennes.   

PRAISED BY MANY 

A handful of high-profile names have been outspoken concerning Doku’s undeniable talent. 

His former Belgium manager Roberto Martinez described him as ‘an exceptional talent who is very strong one on one’.  

Former Arsenal and France legend Thierry Henry, who was Martinez’s assistant in 2021/22, described Doku as ‘extraordinary’ after working with him.  

Even Paris Saint-Germain’s lightning quick Kylian Mbappe has shown admiration for Doku’s speed, saying ‘in five years as a professional, I have never seen someone from a standing start demonstrate so much power’.   

ADVICE AT ANDERLECHT  

Doku not only got to learn from Vincent Kompany in a managerial role, when he was a player-manager of Anderlecht in 2019, the 21-year-old also got to play alongside the City legend.  

They shared the pitch for the 2019/20 season and Doku explained in his interview with the Club that he gained invaluable experience that he still uses.  

“Playing with Vincent was very cool. It was very cool. I had a good, good relationship with Vincent. I remember he gave me one assist, so I’m grateful for that.  

“And even if he came to us at nearly the end of his career, you could still see that he has the abilities that he had at City so he was a top, top player,” said Doku.  

TRIO OF EUROPEAN EXPERIENCES 

Even at 21 years old, Doku has not only gained important European experience, but he has done so in all three of UEFA’s competitions.  

In his debut season with Rennes, the then 18-year-old featured in all six of their Champions League fixtures.  

The following campaign Doku made two Conference League appearances, with game time inconsistent during a spell of various injuries.  

Most recently, in the 2022/23 season with Rennes, the winger featured in four Europa League games in which he assisted two goals.  

BELGIAN LEGACY 

While City’s list of Belgium stars isn’t lengthy, it’s one that we are extremely proud of.  

Doku will become the sixth senior Belgium signing the Club have made as he follows in the footsteps of Daniel Van Buyten, Geert De Vlieger, Emile Mpenza, former City captain Vincent Kompany and his new teammate Kevin De Bruyne.  

TV STAR  

Doku is a big admirer of the Premier League having grown up watching Match of the Day.  

Now, instead of watching the programme with his parents, they will get to watch him feature on the show donning sky blue!