Belgium and Manchester City footballer Jeremy Doku has said welcoming his son into the world with wife Shireen is “one of the greatest blessings God has ever given me”. 

On social media, the winger shared the Bible verse “Every good and perfect gift is from above” (James 1:17), after the arrival of baby boy Praise. 

Doku had made it clear that family came before football, missing Belgium’s 0-0 World Cup draw with Iran to be present for the birth in the UK.

He told Reuters that “nobody wants to miss the birth of their first child”. 

The move had drawn some pushback from fans and football journalists, suggesting Doku was abandoning the team. 

L'Equipe presenter France Pierron gave some of the most extreme criticism, saying a father is “completely useless” at a birth, which is itself a “disgusting moment”. She has since apologised and been suspended from tournament coverage. 

Belgium's national team has shared a video of Doku returning to the squad hotel, captioned “back in camp after the most important assist of his life.” He is back in contention to start in a group-deciding game against New Zealand on Saturday (4 am BST).

In an Instagram post, he said: “Thank you, everyone for the love, prayers and kind messages over the past few days. Shireen and Praise are doing great, and my heart is full of gratitude. Welcoming my son into the world is one of the greatest blessings God has ever given me.”

“Thank you to the team for their support, now it's time to get back to football and represent my country on the biggest stage. May God bless you all. Peace, love and gratitude”, he added.

The 24-year-old was baptised in December last year.