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Jeremy Doku Slammed Over Plan to Leave World Cup to Attend Birth of His Child

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Jeremy Doku has been slammed by a TV presenter after he announced his intention to leave the Belgium camp during the 2026 World Cup.

If Belgium are going to become world champions for the first time in 2026, they will need Doku to be at his very best.

The 24-year-old is now considered one of the very best wingers in world football after an outstanding 2025/26 campaign with Manchester City.

However, if Belgium go far in the competition, they could be without their star player when it matters most.

Jeremy Doku Announces Intention to Return Home

Jeremy Doku in action for Belgium vs Egypt at the 2026 World Cup REUTERS/Albert Gea

Doku revealed earlier this week that his wife Shireen is expecting their first child together during the second week of July. If she gives birth when expected, that would coincide with the tournament’s quarter-final stage.

The Man City winger admitted that he intends to be with his wife to attend the birth of his child and would leave the Belgium camp if they are still in the tournament.

“It’s my first child, so I ‌would ⁠definitely want to be there,” Doku said, per Reuters.

“If you ask me what I want, my answer is that nobody wants to miss the birth of their first child. But I also ​know that football ​involves many ⁠other considerations. I know the federation supports its players and understands their situations. We’ll see what we ​can do.”

Belgian media has claimed that a ​private plane ⁠to England, where the child is due to be born, would likely be arranged.

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TV Presenter Hits Out at Jeremy Doku

Jeremy Doku in Belgium training at the 2026 World Cup IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Blake Dahlin

Doku’s decision has not gone down well with L’Equipe channel presenter France Pierron. She said, per Manchester Evening News:

“You can’t miss a World Cup… And now, you’re not going to the match to cut an umbilical cord?

“You have the chance to participate in a World Cup, and there are hundreds of footballers who would kill to be in your place, but you’re going to leave all that to go and witness the birth of your child, which is a disgusting moment, excuse me, where the father is useless, he has a role as an extra.”

After former boxer Brahim Asloum disagreed with her take, she added: “The midwife doesn’t know how to do it? Meanwhile, you’re going to waste 10 hours, you’re going to get exhausted, you’re going to have an emotional meltdown, you’re going to be completely deflated by your World Cup.”

She has now apologised in a post on social media. She wrote on her Instagram page: “I was expressing a personal opinion, within the context of a contentious exchange. These remarks commit only me and in no way reflect a collective position. I understand that they may have shocked, hurt, or wounded some of you, and I am sorry for that.”

Jeremy Doku to Miss Belgium vs Iran

Jeremy Doku in action for Belgium at the 2026 World Cup REUTERS/Lee Smith

Belgium opened their World Cup campaign with a 1-1 draw against Egypt. Doku will miss their second match, against Iran, due to illness.

Belgium coach Rudi Garcia said, per ESPN: “He can’t play, and so we’ll be playing without him.I knew since [Friday] evening that he won’t be playing.

“I don’t want to get players to play if they’re not medically up for the game. I can get players to play even if they’re not 100 percent physically, but 100 percent medically is [more important]. But I’m absolutely 100 percent sure we’ll be fine and we’ll be winning tomorrow.”

He added: “He was fine, and he managed to play against Egypt. But since then, well, there are ups and downs in life, and the medical staff decided to take things a little bit further and help him recover.”

Belgium’s final group game, against New Zealand, will take place on Friday, June 26.



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Liverpool Join Rivals In Race For £100k-a-week World Cup Star

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Liverpool have joined the race to land a midfield star at the World Cup this summer, as TeamTalk claims the Reds will be battling Premier League rivals for his signature.

It comes as the Merseyside outfit are looking at potential options for the central ranks, with changes expected for Andoni Iraola’s first campaign in charge at Anfield.

Curtis Jones is expected to leave the club as he enters the final 12 months under contract, with interest growing from Inter Milan over the course of the summer.

Alexis Mac Allister is also facing an uncertain future, moving into the final two years of his deal, while teams appear to be positioning themselves for a possible move.

With that in mind, rumours have swirled surrounding Liverpool‘s interest in Alex Scott of Bournemouth as well as Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton.

However, there appears to be a new name on the radar: Felix Nmecha.

Liverpool Want Felix Nmecha Transfer

felix nmecha dortmund borussia

According to the report from TeamTalk, Liverpool have entered the race to sign Borussia Dortmund and Germany midfielder Nmecha this summer.

It’s claimed that a return to the Premier League, where he broke through with Manchester City, is now appearing to be a realistic proposition for the 25-year-old.

The report claims that intermediaries have been looking at potential landing spots for Nmecha, even though his release clause worth £52 million doesn’t kick in until next summer.

It’s stated that while Liverpool are among those keen on a potential deal, there is also interest from rivals Manchester United, as they rebuild their own midfield options.

Fellow English sides Arsenal, Chelsea, and Man City have all been contacted about the possibility too, while Barcelona and Real Madrid have been touted as potential suitors.

It remains to be seen whether a transfer will be possible, however, as Dortmund remain relaxed over his contract situation and the release clause inserted into his deal.

That may change if a concrete offer is made by Liverpool or their rivals, which could heat things up.

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How Good Is Felix Nmecha?

nmecha dortmund

As Liverpool enter the market for midfielders, a move for Nmecha makes sense. At 25, he has experience of living in England and thriving in Germany, which could make it an easier transition for some who are just moving over for the first time.

The Dortmund ace has impressed, enough to earn a starting place for Germany at the World Cup for their opening two group games, and there is potential for him to improve even further.


Jurgen Klopp at the 2026 World Cup


World Cup: Jurgen Klopp Slams Rafael van der Vaart For Comments About Liverpool Star

Klopp heard Van der Vaart’s comments and he had to address them.

Considering he is touted as earning £100k-a-week in Germany, there may be no issue getting the personal terms done, while the larger hang up will be over a potential fee with his club.

However, regardless of that, the play profile may be an ideal fit to give Iraola the energy and control he needs in the middle of the pitch with his style of play.

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Top 10 Most Goals Scored in a Single Season Since 2000

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In its simplest form, football is all about who scores the most goals. That’s why strikers are often the most popular players on the pitch, with everyone behind them relying on their clinical finishing to help add silverware to the trophy cabinet. Goals win games, after all. But when it comes to finding the back of the net, who does it best?

Clubs such as Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich have enjoyed their fair share of otherworldly goalscorers over the years, with their marksmen spearheading trophy-laden eras and helping build incredible collections of Champions League titles. The same can be said for nations such as Portugal and Argentina, whose forwards have fired them to World Cups, European Championships and other major honours.

However, what separates the great from the truly elite is their ability to produce a season for the ages. Those are the campaigns that become the stuff of legend. Scoring goals consistently across a career is one thing, but it’s those breathtaking peaks that win trophies and define eras. With that in mind, this article explores the 10 greatest goalscoring seasons by a player since 2000.

Best Goalscoring Seasons By a Player Since 2000

10. Cristiano Ronaldo (2012/13) – 59 goals

In a generation defined by the Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi duopoly, much of this list inevitably repeats the same superlatives for the two greatest footballers to ever exist. The former’s 2012/13 season with Real Madrid is often overlooked in favour of some of his even better campaigns, but with 12 Champions League goals in as many appearances, he still became the club’s top scorer in Europe and contributed to a third of their league goals that term.

9. Robert Lewandowski (2019/20) – 59 goals

While playing for Bayern Munich, Robert Lewandowski was the overwhelming favourite to win the 2020 Ballon d’Or, only for the organisers to decide it wouldn’t be awarded that year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In effect, he was denied what many felt was his due, as every other player was in the same boat, but he managed to block out outside distractions and finish as top goalscorer in every competition his club won that season – the Bundesliga, Champions League and DFB-Pokal.

Robert Lewandowski with the Champions League trophy
Robert Lewandowski with the Champions League trophy

8. Luis Suarez (2015/16) – 60 goals

Luis Suarez’s 2015/16 season at Barcelona was one of the most complete striker campaigns of the modern era – the kind where he was, quite literally, tearing entire teams apart by himself. He found the back of the net 40 times across 35 La Liga matches, which helped him on his way to a European Golden Shoe as teammate Messi spent much of the campaign sidelined through injury.


Champions League goals-per-game


20 Footballers With the Best Goals-per-Game Ratios in Champions League History

These 20 players have scored goals at a better rate than anyone else in Champions League history

7. Lionel Messi (2014/15) – 62 goals

From one MSN member to the next, the 2014/15 season was arguably when all three of Suarez, Messi, and Neymar found their highest gear together, as Barcelona won the Champions League, La Liga, and Copa del Rey to complete a treble. Messi finished the campaign with 62 goals and 27 assists in 57 appearances, combining outrageous output with his usual all-round influence.

6. Cristiano Ronaldo (2013/14) – 62 goals

Appearing for the second time out of five on this list, nobody features more times than Ronaldo. This time around, in the 2013/14 campaign, Portugal’s captain reached “video game” numbers, and he broke the Champions League record for most in one season when he netted 17 en route to a first Real Madrid title in 12 years.

Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo
Real Madrid vs Sevilla – Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain – December 9, 2017 Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo with his five Ballon d’Or trophies before the match REUTERS/Javier Barbancho

5. Cristiano Ronaldo (2014/15) – 66 goals

Scoring 60 plus goals in one season takes some doing, but going on and doing it again a season later is just astonishing. Well, that’s what Ronaldo managed to do between 2013 and 2015, but his second term wasn’t nearly as memorable as, while he did all he could and more, Los Blancos missed out on all major honours they competed for.

4. Cristiano Ronaldo (2011/12) – 69 goals

It’s incredible to think CR7 scored 69 goals in the 2011/12 season but still didn’t win the European Golden Shoe, scoring fewer goals than one other player (more on him later, though it’s an easy guess). It was a tit-for-tat battle with his old adversary, but while Ronaldo’s 46 La Liga goals was four shy of his rival, his efforts counted for more as Real Madrid won the title with 100 points under Jose Mourinho.

3. Lionel Messi (2012/13) – 69 goals

Messi scored in 21 consecutive La Liga matches in the 2012/13 season, a record that still stands. He also scored nine goals in 11 Champions League matches, as well as 46 in 32 total league appearances. Incredible stuff, really, but sadly not as stunning as the idea that, during the transitional season, Barcelona won zilch.

Lionel Messi

2. Harry Kane (2025/26) – 69 goals

England’s all-time top goalscorer, Harry Kane can still add more to his tally to a season he’s already won the Bundesliga and European Golden Shoe in. With two goals already in this summer’s World Cup, the Three Lions will hope that he continues his fine run of form to help them bring football home for the first time in six decades. The nation’s hopes rest on him, and they can feel pretty safe in that knowledge.

1. Lionel Messi (2011/12) – 82 goals

Of course it’s Messi who holds the record for the best goalscoring season ever. He scored 73 goals in 60 matches for Barcelona, adding a further 10 with Argentina. It contributed to another record of his, which was his 91 total goals in 2012, which is also the gold standard.

Stats courtesy of Pop Foot (correct as of 21/06/2026)

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Tuchel Has Already Made Feelings Clear

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Thomas Tuchel already made his feelings clear about England supporters’ chants directed at Keir Starmer, after expletive-ridden songs rang out in the Three Lions’ win over Andorra in September 2025. Politics, once more, found their way onto the terraces.

Ahead of the World Cup qualifier, some fans were even spotted selling “stop the boats” flags, while the UK Prime Minister became the subject of further abuse from sections of the Holte End amid debates over the current immigration policies. To the tune of The White Stripes’ 2003 hit Seven Nation Army, large sections of the crowd could be heard chanting: “Keir Starmer is a w*****.”

The chants were heard again during England’s World Cup win against Croatia, despite FIFA warning there could be punishments for doing so. That didn’t stop those who seemed more intent on shifting the focus away from football altogether – and onto the government.

Thomas Tuchel on Anti-Keir Starmer Chants

England boss Thomas Tuchel

Similar foul-mouthed chants could be heard as England defeated Andorra in the reverse fixture back in June last year. To the tune of KC & The Sunshine Band’s hit Give It Up, they could be heard singing: “Na-na, na-na, na-na, na-na-na-na now, Starmer is a ****, is a ****, Starmer is a ****.”

Supporters at RCDE Stadium, Espanyol’s stadium that became Andorra’s temporary home venue due to its more modern facilities, also chanted: “Keir Starmer is a w****r, is a w****r.” Listen to some England supporters’ chants in a previous game below:

After the game back in June, Tuchel said he did not hear any of the songs in question, but made it very clear what he thought about the matter. As per the Daily Mail, he told reporters:

“If it happened, it’s not acceptable. But I didn’t hear any offensive songs or chants.”

Keir Starmer

The Three Lions have made a strong start to their World Cup campaign after an opening-day victory against old foes Croatia. They head into games against Ghana and Panama needing just three points to ensure their passage into the knockout rounds.

Starmer, a keen football fan, might have some more time on his hands to cheer on his country. The Prime Minister is expected to resign from his post.

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