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Jeremy Doku’s rise from a promising youngster at Anderlecht to becoming a key figure for both Manchester City and the Belgium national team has been built on the strongest part of his game – his extraordinary ability to take on defenders with the ball at his feet.

From his early days playing on the streets of Antwerp, it was evident that Doku possessed a dribbling style that set him apart from others around him.

Doku himself believes that this natural flair was shaped by his family’s influence and his footballing idols.

“It’s a gift; I didn’t train it,” the Manchester City winger told FourFourTwo. “I realised football was the purpose that the Lord placed in my life. It’s a talent that has been given to me.”

As he recalls, that raw talent sometimes led to amusing situations during his childhood. “When I was young, I loved to dribble, and I used to get a lot of criticism from other parents because I wouldn’t pass the ball to their children!” he says with a smile.

He admits that those moments were occasionally frustrating for his own parents watching from the sidelines. “The other parents always complained, but eventually my parents saw that I was helping the team, that I was just using the talent given to me, and that it was working out.”

Today, Doku stands out as one of the brightest stars in Belgium’s new generation and continues to play with the same enthusiasm and joy that defined his early years.

“I used to play a lot on the street with my brother – I also played futsal, and all of that contributed to the player you see now,” he explains. “Now I try to bring that same spirit to the pitch. With my soul.”

Doku, who is of Ghanaian descent, traces his first love for football back to a family trip to Ghana. “I think I was five years old when we were in Ghana, and my brother was playing football with some people,” he recalls.

“I wanted to join in, but they said I was too young and might get hurt, so I cried and got angry. Then my dad told me, ‘Don’t worry, when we’re back in Belgium, I’ll put you in a team.’”

Growing up, Doku’s neighbourhood wasn’t the easiest. “It was a bit rough, and my father didn’t want me hanging out on the streets and getting into trouble. But he saw I had talent, and soon I fell in love with playing football.”

Doku’s idols were two of the greatest dribblers of modern football. “My favourite has always been Messi – I still love how he plays,” he says. “And in Belgium, Eden Hazard was the player I saw myself in. I wanted to have that kind of role in the national team.”

— Chris Flanagan, Senior Staff Writer