A MATTER OF BELIEF
Published: 22/08/2026 | By: Alex Courbat
Jeremy Doku doesn't just prepare for a game – he prepares for a mission. The Manchester City winger opens up about faith, freedom and what it really means to play without fear.
Picture the scene at the Etihad Stadium for Manchester City's opening home game of the new Premier League season. Thousands of supporters packed into the stands, the noise building from the moment the turnstiles open. By the time the teams are in the tunnel, that familiar Manchester City atmosphere has grown into something almost tangible. The expectations are enormous. Another Premier League campaign has begun. Another opportunity to compete for the biggest trophies.
And yet, somewhere in the tunnel before City walk out, Jeremy Doku is calm. Not because the pressure doesn't exist. Not because he doesn't understand what is at stake. But because, by his own account, he has already won.
It sounds almost like a riddle. But spend any time listening to the 24-year-old winger speak and it starts to make perfect sense. "Even before the game, I already have victory on my side," he says. "I'm already loved and significant in His eyes. So I already won." He is talking, of course, about God.
For Jeremy, faith is not a convenient post-match soundbite or a vague reference to spirituality. It is the foundation upon which everything else rests. Football comes second. Fame comes second. Even the pressure of playing for Manchester City comes second.
That perspective feels increasingly rare in modern elite sport, where careers are measured in trophies, transfer fees, statistics and social media metrics. But for one of Manchester City's most exciting attacking players, success begins long before the first whistle.
Raised in Antwerp by Ghanaian parents, Jeremy grew up surrounded by both football and faith. His connection to Christianity has remained constant throughout a journey that has taken him from local pitches in Belgium to the Etihad Stadium and the highest levels of European football.
Now, entering another Premier League season, Doku is no longer simply the exciting young winger who arrived at City with enormous potential. He has become an established part of one of the world's most demanding football environments.
His development has been clear. During the 2025/26 campaign, he made 47 appearances for City, scoring eight goals and providing 11 assists. His performances helped establish him as one of the club's standout attacking players. And with another season beginning, the expectations only grow.
Manchester City enter the new campaign looking to challenge for the Premier League title once again after winning the domestic double last season. The 2026/27 campaign begins at the Etihad against Bournemouth, with the club's pursuit of another league title getting underway in front of their home supporters.
For Doku, that means another season of pressure. Another season of defenders trying to stop him. Another season of expectations.
But he views pressure differently. His matchday routine reveals why. Preparation starts the night before, when he allows himself time for reflection and quiet thought. On the morning of the game, there is a familiar sequence. Water. Rest. A nap that he insists is absolutely non-negotiable.
Then comes the most important part. Before the tactical meetings. Before the warm-up. Before the pre-match meal. He opens his Bible, and he prays. "That's the most important part," he says. "I try to read the Bible, spend time with Jesus. For me, that's everything."
There is something striking about that image. While elite football obsesses over data, nutrition plans, recovery metrics and performance analytics, Doku begins with stillness. And perhaps that is why he plays the way he does.
Because there is nothing still about Jeremy once the game starts. Few players in the Premier League are as electrifying in one-versus-one situations. Defenders know exactly what is coming and still struggle to stop it. The burst of acceleration. The quick shift of direction. The confidence to attack again and again.
When Doku receives possession in space at the Etihad, entire stands seem to lean forward in anticipation. What makes that even more remarkable is that the freedom he displays on the pitch appears to come directly from the certainty he has found off it. "That's where the best Jeremy comes out," he says. "When I play with freedom."
Freedom is a word that comes up repeatedly when he speaks. Not freedom from expectations. Not freedom from responsibility. But freedom from fear. The distinction matters.
A Premier League season can consume players. The pressure of playing for a club expected to compete for trophies every year can be relentless. Careers can be defined by a missed chance, a misplaced pass or a single mistake under the brightest spotlight.
At Manchester City, the margins are particularly small. Every performance is scrutinised. Every position is contested. Every match carries expectations. Yet Jeremy's faith gives him a perspective that extends beyond football.
If his value as a person does not depend on a scoreline, then failure loses some of its power. If he believes he is already loved regardless of the result, then fear has less room to grow. That mindset could prove invaluable over the course of another long Premier League campaign.
Because City need players capable of embracing the pressure rather than being consumed by it. And Jeremy's own journey at the club suggests he is learning exactly how to do that.
He has previously spoken about how much he has matured since arriving at City, particularly in understanding when to attack and when to slow the game down. He has also described the experience of playing alongside serial winners and competing for the biggest trophies as a crucial part of his development.
That evolution is important. The raw pace and explosive dribbling were always there. The next stage is understanding how and when to use them. When to take the defender on. When to hold the ball. When to accelerate. When to wait. And when the moment arrives, when to simply trust himself.
Now, you might wonder, when Jeremy enters the pitch, is it his faith that pushes him to storm down the wing? Sure, to some extent.
But there's also a simple and powerful love for the game. Ask him what his favourite part of matchday is and he doesn't offer a carefully rehearsed answer about atmosphere or victory. Instead, he talks about the moment the referee blows the whistle. The moment football begins. "I just want to start playing." There's something wonderfully simple about that.
A player operating at the highest level of the sport still feels the same excitement that children experience in parks and playgrounds. Beneath the professional contracts, television cameras, tactical instructions and packed stadiums, the love of the game remains untouched.
Maybe that is part of Jeremy's secret. The football world sees an explosive Manchester City winger capable of changing matches in an instant. His teammates see a player who has continued to mature into an important part of the squad. Defenders see a nightmare sprinting directly towards them.
But underneath it all is a young man whose confidence comes from somewhere deeper than football, coupled with a simple yet powerful love for the game.
As Manchester City begin another Premier League campaign, Jeremy will carry the expectations that come with playing for one of the biggest clubs in world football.
He will hear the noise at the Etihad. He will feel the intensity. He will face the pressure of a season in which City will once again be expected to compete for major honours. Yet when he steps onto the pitch, he will do so with a conviction that few players possess.
For Jeremy, the challenge is not to prove that he is worthy of being loved. That battle has already been won. The challenge is simply to play. To play freely. To play without fear. And perhaps, in a season where Manchester City will need their best players to embrace every moment, that could be one of Jeremy Doku's greatest strengths.
