Michael Kayode
Italian footballer (born 2004)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Michael Olabode Kayode (born 10 July 2004) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Premier League club Brentford and the Italy national team.
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Kayode with Brentford in 2025 | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Michael Olabode Kayode[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 10 July 2004 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Borgomanero, Italy | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||||||||||||||||
| Position | Right-back | ||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | Brentford | ||||||||||||||||
| Number | 33 | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2014−2018 | Juventus | ||||||||||||||||
| 2018−2020 | Gozzano | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2020−2021 | Gozzano | 34 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
| 2021−2025 | Fiorentina | 31 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2025 | → Brentford (loan) | 12 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2025– | Brentford | 42 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||
| 2021−2022 | Italy U18 | 4 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2022−2023 | Italy U19 | 12 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2023− | Italy U21 | 10 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2026– | Italy | 1 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 07:16, 22 September 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 28 September 2026 | |||||||||||||||||
Early life
Kayode was born on 10 July 2004, in Borgomanero, Italy, and is of Nigerian descent.[2]
Club career
Gozzano
The son of Yoruba parents, Kayode started his youth career at the academy of Juventus, where he remained for seven years until 2018.[3][4] He played the 2020–21 season with Serie D club Gozzano, with which he scored two goals along with two assists in 34 matches, and gained promotion to Serie C with the club.[3] He cited his experience in Serie D as "a step backwards ... to make two forwards".[3]
Fiorentina
Kayode joined Fiorentina after his spell in Serie D during 2021, and was integrated into their youth sector.[3] With Fiorentina, he won one Coppa Italia Primavera and one Supercoppa Italiana Primavera.[4]
On 19 August 2023, Kayode made his Serie A debut for Fiorentina in a 4–1 away victory over Genoa.[5] On 26 February 2024, he scored his first goal in a 2–1 win over Lazio.[6] By the end of the season, Kayode had become a regular in Fiorentina's first team with his performances reportedly attracting international attention from clubs around Europe,[7][8] featuring heavily in Serie A and in the squad that reached the final of the UEFA Conference League.[9]
Brentford
On 24 January 2025, English club Brentford announced that they had signed Kayode on loan for the remainder of the 2024–25 season, with an option to make the deal permanent.[10] Brentford signed Kayode permanently in May 2025, on a contract lasting until 2030.[11] He scored his first Premier League goal for the club in a 2–2 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers on 16 March 2026.[12] Later that year, on 3 July, he extended his contract until 2032.[13]
International career
In July 2023, Kayode's 19th minute goal decided the final of the 2023 UEFA European Under-19 Championship, which Italy won 1–0 against Portugal.[3]
On 17 October 2023, he made his debut with the Italy U21s, in the qualifying match won 2–0 against Norway in Bolzano.
Kayode was one of the players who were called up with the Italy national team by head coach Roberto Mancini for the 2026–27 UEFA Nations League matches against Belgium, Turkey and France between 25 September and 5 October 2026.[14]
On 28 September 2026, Kayode scored his first goal for the Italian National team in a four goal away win over Turkey.[15]
Style of play
Predominantly a right-back, at Fiorentina, Kayode also played as a left-back or in a double pivot as a third centre-back.[16] He has been noted for his long throws, frequently creating chances from throw-ins.[17][18][19]
Career statistics
- As of match played 18 September 2026
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Gozzano | 2020–21 | Serie D | 34 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 34 | 2 | ||||
| Fiorentina | 2023–24 | Serie A | 26 | 1 | 4 | 0 | — | 6[c] | 0 | 1[d] | 0 | 37 | 1 | |
| 2024–25 | Serie A | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 7[c] | 0 | — | 12 | 0 | |||
| Total | 31 | 1 | 4 | 0 | — | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 49 | 1 | |||
| Brentford (loan) | 2024–25 | Premier League | 12 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 12 | 0 | ||||
| Brentford | 2025–26 | Premier League | 37 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 44 | 1 | ||
| 2026–27 | Premier League | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 7 | 1 | |||
| Brentford total | 54 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | — | 63 | 2 | ||||
| Career total | 119 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 146 | 5 | ||
- Includes Coppa Italia, FA Cup
- Appearances in UEFA (Europa) Conference League
- Appearance in Supercoppa Italiana
International
- As of match played 28 September 2026
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | 2026 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 1 | 1 | |
- Scores and results list Austria's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Kayode goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 September 2026 | Centennial Atatürk Stadium, Bursa, Turkey | 1 |  Turkey | 3–0 | 4–1 | 2026–27 UEFA Nations League A |
Honours
Fiorentina U19
- Supercoppa Primavera: 2021–22,[20] 2023–24[21]
- Coppa Italia Primavera: 2021–22
Fiorentina
- UEFA Europa Conference League runner-up: 2023–24[9]
Italy U19
Individual
