Manchester City winger Jeremy Doku has released a candid video reflecting on how God used the World Cup in ways he never expected. From pride and character to family and forgiveness, Tim Bechervaise shares four ways Doku’s tournament became a witness that made more noise off the pitch than on it
The final whistle on a highly contentious but supremely entertaining men’s World Cup may have blown more than two weeks ago, but one of the stories of the tournament keeps on being written.
Then there’s Jeremy Doku. Fresh from an eventful tournament – including injury and the birth of his son Praise – the Man City winger has recently released a 20-minute video talking about how faith brought him through it.
It’s a fascinating watch, full of candour, insight and wisdom. Here are some nuggets to emerge from it…
1. A seismic and strategic shift
“I feel that the World Cup has been a success,” says Doku – because of faith, not football. It’s a remarkably counter-cultural comment, reflecting the seismic change witnessed in recent years in professional football, peaking at this year’s World Cup, with players not just expressing their faith openly but actively beckoning the world to take note.
Doku shares how believers gathered before the tournament to prayerfully consider how they could seize the moment, settling on the message of “The King’s Return”.
It cannot be overstated how unheard of this would have been even ten years ago. If we’re looking for confirmation that something is shifting in society spiritually, we needn’t start with the figures; we should instead look to the football pitch, because what happens there so often spills over into wider society. God seems to be doing something strategic through the footballing world and we’d be wise to take note.
2. “I fed my flesh”
Another thread to emerge is pride, with Doku explaining how it had crept into his heart, particularly as journalists talked about his starring role in the Belgium team going into the World Cup.
“I fed my flesh. I had to go through certain things to really notice that there was pride in me,” he shares, explaining how challenges during the World Cup, like illness and injury, brought it to the surface. “Sometimes trials are good because they build a godly character in you and they purify you.”
The words are reminiscent of a sermon rather than the musings of a professional footballer! It’s a testament to Doku’s maturing and bold faith that he reflects on the tournament with contentment, not because he was amazing on the pitch, but because he’s grown in character.
And whilst Doku’s world is very different to most of ours, we can likely identify with the temptation of pride, how we secretly welcome the plaudits that feed our flesh. As with Doku, God is far more interested in our character than our achievements, and He will often lovingly bring us low to remind us of that.
3. A compassionate response
The most eye-widening moment of the video came when Doku reached out to the presenter, France Pierron, whose condemnation of his decision to return to England for the birth of his son went viral, leading to her suspension by French sports outlet L’Equipe.
“I want people to not be too harsh on her. We don’t know what she has experienced. It’s her opinion. She got fired and all these things. I never want this for a person. I’m not against her, I’m not angry at her,” he shares.
It’s a testament to Doku’s that he reflects on the World Cup with contentment, not because he was amazing on the pitch, but because he’s grown in character.
In the age of finger-pointing and cancel culture, Doku’s words radiate compassion and grace. It reminds me of the words of Oswald Chambers, who cautioning against criticising others, says: “There is always one fact more in every man’s case about which we know nothing.”
4. Making a noise off the pitch
Tying everything together, Doku rejoices in how God’s plan for him during the World Cup looked very different from what he expected, from the way injury and illness made it easier for him to return home for his son’s birth to how the controversy gave him opportunity to reflect Jesus off the pitch.
“[The controversy] showed [that] the world is upside down. But in the kingdom of heaven, it’s Jesus first, family, then football… My witness outside the pitch was at that point even louder than my witness on the pitch. I made more noise outside the pitch than on the pitch, which I didn’t expect, which I wouldn’t have chosen,” he shares.
Fittingly, the video closes with the words of Isaiah 55:8-9: “’For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.’”
With more than 88,000 views and counting, the noise Doku made during the World Cup is showing no signs of abating – and long may that continue.
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