Analysis: Is Doku the best dribbler in the world?

Football writer Adrian Clarke assesses Pep Guardiola's analysis of Jeremy Doku after the winger's impact off the bench against Aston Villa on Tuesday.

Player analysis: Jeremy Doku (Man City)

Doku’s explosive dribble and cross to assist Matheus Nunes’ winner against Aston Villa left Pep Guardiola thoroughly impressed on Tuesday night.

“Jeremy is the best player in the world in the first five metres. In those five metres he is unstoppable. He has something unique,” the Manchester City manager said afterwards.

Doku’s acceleration over short distances can be jaw-dropping to watch.

While he has plenty of tricks in his locker that can be used to take the ball past defenders, it is his speed and strength that often allow him to initially burst away from his marker.

This skillset means the Belgian backs himself to beat full-backs almost every time he has the ball, which is why he is by some distance the Premier League’s most prolific ball carrier.

He leads the way with 309 progressive ball carries, despite featuring for just 1,303 minutes this season.

Most progressive ball carries in PL 24/25

It must be Doku’s speed across just two or three yards that separates him from the rest.

For according to Opta’s records this season, Doku is only the sixth-fastest player at Man City when it comes to top speed.

Man City's fastest players in 24/25

Yet the 22-year-old marries his pace with brute force, using a powerful frame to bounce off defenders whenever they try to take the ball away from him.

Unbelievably robust under contact, Doku is currently the division’s best duel-winner.

Most duels won per 90 in PL 24/25

*Minimum 10 starts

What about his end product?

Guardiola and others have been critical of Doku's decision-making and quality of final ball.

It is justified, as Doku has scored just three goals this season and made only five assists in the Premier League.

But as he matures, this aspect of his game should develop nicely, and seven of his eight direct goal involvements in 2024/25 have come on the back of decisive ball carries.

How often does he succeed with a dribble?

In the Premier League, nobody can touch Doku’s astonishing output.

He attempts 10.84 dribbles per 90 minutes, which is way in excess of Southampton’s Kamaldeen Sulemana (7.24) and West Ham United’s Mohammed Kudus (6.55) in second and third.

Doku does not waste many of those runs either.

His highly impressive 6.77 successful dribbles per game dwarfs the 3.57 per 90 produced by Arsenal star Ethan Nwaneri, who ranks second this department.

There are 50 players across the division who attempt at least three dribbles per 90 minutes, and in terms of completion rate, it is Doku who tops the list.

When he tries to take on a defender, he regularly takes the ball past them.

Highest percentage of completed dribbles in PL 24/25

*Min three attempted dribbles per 90

Is Doku the world’s best dribbler?

Most of the world's biggest stars play in Europe’s top five leagues, and across those competitions Doku has been the best and most prolific dribbler of 2024/25.

His 10.8 attempts per game place him ahead of Spain international stars Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams, as well as Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior.

England Under-21 winger Jamie Gittens ranks joint-third with Borussia Dortmund.

Most dribbles attempted per 90 24/25

*Minimum 1,000 minutes played

As shown below, the gap between Doku and the rest widens when you analyse the quantity of successful dribbles he makes, with 6.8 per 90.

So, Guardiola is correct to label him the world’s best.

Many of European football’s most exciting individuals feature inside the top six, but Doku is untouchable at the top.

Most dribbles completed per 90 24/25

Where does Doku rank among Premier League's best EVER?

Dribbling stats have only been recorded since the 2006/07 campaign, but in that 18-year period it is Doku who once again boasts the greatest numbers.

Former Southampton man Sofiane Boufal is the only player to average more attempted dribbles as a Premier League player, with 10.3, ahead of Doku, who averages 9.9 since arriving in English football.

But Doku is the top man when it comes to successfully beating opponents with the ball at his feet.

Down by one completed dribble per 90 on this season’s average, Man City’s winger still leads the likes of Adama Traore, Allan Saint-Maximim and Eden Hazard for success in this aspect of the game.

Most dribbles completed per 90 in PL since 06/07

While Doku does cause frustration on occasion, there can be no doubting he is bringing something very special to the side.