Kayode Says Italy Was an Easy Choice Over Nigeria

Brentford defender Michael Kayode has said he was asked to play for Nigeria. But he never thought about switching from Italy, where he grew up playing in the youth teams. This was reported by PUNCH Sports Extra.

Kayode is one of the new players called up by Italy for their upcoming matches.

He got his first senior call-up from Italy. He made a name for himself with the Azzurri at the youth level. He scored the winning goal in the European Under-19 Championship final against Portugal, helping Italy win the title for the first time.

“It was a very easy decision. I went through all the youth teams here. Nigeria approached me, but I never thought about changing national teams,” he said, according to Football Italia.

“I think Italy have always been a great national team, and playing here is an honour.

“I didn’t know about the Italy call-up before the game [against Chelsea]; I found out at the final whistle, on my phone. It was an incredible emotion, especially after such a big win.”

Kayode used to play for Fiorentina. He has made 63 appearances for Brentford, scoring two goals and providing three assists.

He also named Italy legend Paolo Maldini as his main inspiration.

“Many full-backs inspire me, but the main one is [Paolo] Maldini. I love defending, and I believe he is the exception in this sport worldwide.”

Kayode has also made news in England for his long throw-ins.

“One day, I woke up and found out I could do long throw-ins,” he said with a smile.

“I didn’t use it much here in Florence, but at Brentford, I found out they had a coach who focuses on this. So we are practicing it in training, and it’s more used in England.”

The 22-year-old joined Brentford on a €500,000 loan deal with an option to buy from Fiorentina in January 2025. The English club made his move permanent for €17.5m at the end of the season.