Seven years ago, Jeremy Doku was a 15-year-old teen sensation turning heads in Belgium as he earned the tag the New Hazard due to his electrifying pace and unbelievable skillset.
Then on the books of Anderlecht, the left-winger had rattled the net for the Belgian U17 side during a series of international games and he spared some time to speak to Ghana Sports Publications about his career ambitions and dreams.
Doku, who has since realised his dreams of playing in the English Premier League, even waded into the GOAT debate which has always generated heated talking points between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi fans.
After putting himself on the score-sheet for the young Red Devils, the 173cm attacker expressed profound feelings after his goals for the European powerhouse: “It always feels good to score as a left wing and to help the team.”
Despite having a Ghanaian background, Doku has always felt a sense of nationality towards his country of birth – Belgian and he further highlighted that when he netted for them during those games at the junior: “It really feels good the represent such a great country.”
Berekum-born Samuel Asoma, who is 23 now and on the books of Helsingborg IF, was his teammate in the Belgium U17 and he revealed his relationship with his Ghanaian compatriot: “We are good friends he plays in Brugge and I play in Anderlecht but still we are good friends.”
Since turning pro, Doku has bagged 35 goals while playing for Anderlecht, Stade Rennes and Manchester City while providing 46 assists and getting involved with goals has always been part of the dreams of Doku as he told Ghana Sports back in 2019: “I want to score a lot of goals because its important for my position and for my development.”
Doku has always been a grateful person and since a tender age has always expressed gratitude towards for their contribution to his development: “It’s a great experience I thank all the coaches who helped me and also my family.”
While the youngster was still moulding his game at the age of 15, he had placed premium on learning from the best in his positions as he narrated: “There are a lot of great players so I just have to work hard and we will see.”
The youngster arrived at the Etihad Stadium in 2023 summer from French Ligue 1 side Stade Rennes on a €60 million deal and that meant a dream come true based on what he told Ghana Sports back in 2019: “I like the Premier League and I watch a lot of the match of the day programs. I will see where the future brings me.”
He even waded into the controversial GOAT debate between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi and ultimately declared his choice: “My choice is Messi because I love the way he dribbles and he also scores a lot of goals.”
Since debuting for Belgium at U15 level, the attacker has gone ahead to net 22 goals at all levels including 7 senior goals. And since his statement back in 2019 it seems his choice to represent the European nation was a well thought through one as he revealed at the time he didn’t where his final choice was.
Prior to his recent visit to Ghana, Doku had visited Ghana a couple of times, according to him as he even revealed his favourite musician and Ghanaian dish: “Yes my favourite music is Adonai from Sarkodie and favourite food is Coco and beans.”
