Ben Godfrey

Ben Godfrey

Godfrey celebrating promotion with Norwich City in 2019
Personal information
Full name	Benjamin Matthew Godfrey [1]
Date of birth	(1998-01-15) 15 January 1998 (age 26) [2]
Place of birth	York, England
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) [3]
Position(s)	Centre-back, full-back
Team information
Current team	Atalanta
Number	5
Youth career
0000–2011	York City
2011–201?	Middlesbrough
201?–2014	York City
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2014–2016	York City	12	(1)
2016–2020	Norwich City	66	(4)
2017–2018	→ Shrewsbury Town (loan)	40	(1)
2020–2024	Everton	82	(0)
2024–	Atalanta	1	(0)
International career
2019	England U20	2	(0)
2019–2021	England U21	9	(1)
2021	England	2	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:19, 19 August 2024 (UTC)

Benjamin Matthew Godfrey (born 15 January 1998) is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre-back or full-back for Serie A club Atalanta. He has represented England from under-20 to senior level.

Early and personal life

Godfrey was born in Tang Hall, York, North Yorkshire, ^[4] and attended Archbishop Holgate's School. ^[5] His father Alex Godfrey is a former professional rugby league footballer. ^[6] Godfrey is of Jamaican descent through his paternal grandfather. ^[7]

Club career

Early career

Godfrey warming up for York City in 2015

Godfrey captained the York & District under-13 team that beat Southampton at Stadium MK in the final of the English Schools' FA Inter-Association Trophy in May 2011. ^[5] This was the first time a team from York had won an English Schools' FA competition. ^[5] He started his career with York City's youth system, before moving to Middlesbrough in the summer of 2011. ^[6] After being released by the club, he had trials with Leeds United and Sheffield Wednesday, before returning to York at under-15 level, ^[6] with whom he started his scholarship. ^[8] Godfrey captained York's under-18 team in the 2014–15 season, ^[9] while still a first-year scholar. ^[10] His first involvement with the first team came as an unused substitute in a League Two match against Newport County on 11 October 2014. ^[11] Godfrey made his debut aged 17 when starting York's 1–0 home win over Yeovil Town on 18 August 2015. ^[12] He scored his first goal for York in the eighth minute of stoppage time in a 2–1 home loss to Plymouth Argyle on 14 November 2015 with a shot from 10 yards. ^[13]

Norwich City

Godfrey signed for Premier League club Norwich City on 15 January 2016 on a three-and-a-half-year contract for an undisclosed fee and would initially play in their academy team. ^[14] He made his debut on 23 August as a substitute in the 65th minute of Norwich's EFL Cup second round match against Coventry City and scored in the 87th minute of a 6–1 home win with a shot from outside the penalty area. ^[15] Godfrey made his league debut in a 2–0 home win over Birmingham City on 28 January 2017 as an 81st-minute substitute. ^[16] He signed a new four-year contract with Norwich on 11 August 2017, keeping him at the club until the summer of 2021. ^[17]

On 24 August 2017, Godfrey joined League One club Shrewsbury Town on loan until 1 January 2018. ^[18] The deal was later extended to the end of the season. ^[19]

For the 2018–19 season, Godfrey was back with Norwich. He played in their four EFL Cup games but his appearances in the league were limited to substitute appearances until December: ^[20] With Grant Hanley and Timm Klose both injured, Godfrey made his first league start for Norwich in the Championship match against Bolton Wanderers, partnering Christoph Zimmermann at centre half in a 3–2 win. ^[21] He remained in the side even when Hanley was fit again and scored his first goal for Norwich at the end of the year to give them an early lead against Derby County, although a late comeback from Derby saw Norwich lose the game 4–3. ^[22] This was only a temporary setback for both Godfrey and Norwich however. Godfrey would score three more goals, all of which would earn Norwich points as they chased promotion back to the Premier League. ^[20] This was achieved in the penultimate game, a 2–1 win over Blackburn Rovers, with Godfrey in the team. ^[23] In all, Godfrey played 31 league games during the season, starting 26 of them. ^[20]

Godfrey made his first Premier League appearance in the opening game of the 2019–20 season, a 4–1 defeat against Liverpool, playing alongside Hanley. ^[24] There were again a number of injuries to centre halves throughout the season, to the point that Godfrey was the only fit regular centre back at one point, and even captained the side with Hanley, Alexander Tettey, Klose and Zimmermann all injured. ^[25] After a promising start winning two of their first five games, Norwich soon slid to the bottom of the table. When they did record a rare win against fellow strugglers AFC Bournemouth, Godfrey was sent off in the second half for a late challenge on Callum Wilson, having the unfortunate distinction of being the first Premier League player to be dismissed as a result of a referee consulting a VAR monitor. ^[26] Godfrey again made 30 league appearances for Norwich but, in a season disrupted by a three-month suspension during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, the club were relegated back to the Championship. ^[27]

Godfrey would play in Norwich's first three games in the 2020–21 season, making his last appearance in a 1–0 defeat by Bournemouth. ^[28]

Everton

Godfrey playing for Everton in 2021

Godfrey signed for Premier League club Everton on 5 October 2020 on a five-year contract for an undisclosed fee, ^[29] reported by The Athletic to be an initial £20 million, potentially rising to £25 million in add-ons. ^[30] He made his debut on 17 October in a Merseyside derby against Liverpool in a 2–2 draw at home in the Premier League, coming on as a 31st-minute substitute after an injury to Séamus Coleman. ^[31] Adam Jones of the Liverpool Echo said that Godfrey "was thrown into the deep end for his debut and stood up to the task very well". ^[32]

At the end of his first season at the club, Godfrey was voted by Everton fans as the club's Young Player of the Season. ^[33]

Atalanta

On 28 June 2024, Godfrey signed for Serie A club Atalanta for an undisclosed fee ^[34] reported to be in the region of £11 million with a sell-on clause. ^{[35] [36] [37]}

International career

Godfrey received his first call-up for the England national under-20 team ahead of their 2018–19 Under 20 Elite League fixtures against Poland and Portugal in March 2019. ^[38] He made his debut when starting in the 3–1 defeat at home to Poland. ^[39] He made two appearances for the under-20s. ^[40]

Godfrey was included in the England national under-21 team for the first time for their 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification matches against Turkey and Kosovo in September 2019. ^[41] He made his debut as an 81st-minute substitute during a 3–2 away win against Turkey on 6 September. ^[42] He started the following match as captain, as England beat Kosovo 2–0 at home. ^[43] Godfrey scored his first international goal on 8 September 2020 in a 2–1 away win against Austria in 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification with a sliding finish after a well-timed run. ^[44]

On 25 May 2021, Godfrey was called up as part of Gareth Southgate's 33-man provisional England squad for the delayed UEFA Euro 2020. ^[45] He was not named in the final 26-man squad, with Southgate stating that Godfrey was part of the provisional squad "in order to gain experience". ^[46] However, he remained in the squad for England's pre-tournament friendlies against Austria and Romania at the Riverside Stadium ^[47] and made his debut on 2 June as a 61st-minute substitute as England beat Austria 1–0. ^[48] He made his first start four days later, playing the entirety of a 1–0 win over Romania. ^[49]

Style of play

Godfrey primarily plays as a centre-back, but also played in central midfield and at full-back in his early career. ^[29]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 18 December 2024

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

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
York City	2014–15 [50]	League Two	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0	0	0
	2015–16 [12]	League Two	12	1	1	0	1	0	—		1 [c]	0	15	1
	Total		12	1	1	0	1	0	—		1	0	15	1
Norwich City	2015–16 [12]	Premier League	0	0	—		—		—		—		0	0
	2016–17 [16]	Championship	2	0	1	0	3	1	—		—		6	1
	2017–18 [51]	Championship	0	0	—		0	0	—		—		0	0
	2018–19 [20]	Championship	31	4	1	0	4	0	—		—		36	4
	2019–20 [27]	Premier League	30	0	2	0	1	0	—		—		33	0
	2020–21 [28]	Championship	3	0	—		0	0	—		—		3	0
	Total		66	4	4	0	8	1	—		—		78	5
Norwich City U23	2016–17 [16]	—			—		—		—		4 [d]	0	4	0
Shrewsbury Town (loan)	2017–18 [51]	League One	40	1	4	0	—		—		7 [e]	0	51	1
Everton	2020–21 [28]	Premier League	31	0	4	0	1	0	—		—		36	0
	2021–22 [52]	Premier League	23	0	3	0	1	0	—		—		27	0
	2022–23 [53]	Premier League	13	0	1	0	0	0	—		—		14	0
	2023–24 [54]	Premier League	15	0	0	0	1	0	—		—		16	0
	Total		82	0	8	0	3	0	—		—		93	0
Atalanta	2024–25 [55]	Serie A	1	0	1	0	—		2 [f]	0	1 [g]	0	5	0
Career total			202	6	17	0	12	1	2	0	13	0	245	7

1. Includes FA Cup, Coppa Italia
2. Includes EFL Cup
3. Appearance in Football League Trophy
4. Appearances in EFL Trophy
5. Four appearances in EFL Trophy, three appearances in League One play-offs
6. Appearances in UEFA Champions League
7. Appearance in UEFA Super Cup

International

As of match played 6 June 2021 ^[56]

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
England	2021	2	0
Total		2	0

Honours

Shrewsbury Town

• EFL Trophy runner-up: 2017–18 ^[57]

Norwich City

• EFL Championship: 2018–19 ^[58]

Individual

• Everton Young Player of the Season: 2020–21 ^[33]

References

Infobox statistics

• England U20: "Match Results Under 20: 1981–2019". England Football Online. 5 June 2021. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
• England U21: "Match Results Under 21: 2010–20". England Football Online. 5 June 2021. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  "Match Results Under 21: 2020–30". England Football Online. 3 June 2021. Retrieved 7 June 2021.

Specific

1. "Retained and released lists submitted by Premier League clubs". Premier League. 10 June 2016. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
2. "Ben Godfrey: Overview". ESPN. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
3. "Ben Godfrey: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
4. "Ben Godfrey". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
5. Flett, Dave (24 May 2011). "York and District U13s carve out niche in city's football folklore". The Press. York. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
6. Flett, Dave (19 November 2015). "West Brom, Hull City and Cardiff City running the rule over York City starlet Ben Godfrey". The Press. York. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
7. "Caribbean call". York Press. 6 March 2004.
8. "York City FC youth team profiles". York City F.C. Archived from the original on 26 August 2014.
9. "York City academy pass with flying colours". The Press. York. 15 November 2014. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
10. Flett, Dave (21 March 2015). "York City boss Russ Wilcox believes calls for his sacking are unhelpful". The Press. York. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
11. "B. Godfrey: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
12. "Games played by Ben Godfrey in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
13. Flett, Dave (14 November 2015). "York City suffer fifth straight defeat against table-topping Plymouth". The Press. York. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
14. "Canaries sign York's Ben Godfrey". Norwich City F.C. 15 January 2016. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
15. "Norwich City 6–1 Coventry City". BBC Sport. 23 August 2016. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
16. "Games played by Ben Godfrey in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
17. "Alex Pritchard: Norwich City midfielder out for at least 12 weeks after ankle surgery". BBC Sport. 11 August 2017. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
18. "Ben Godfrey: Shrewsbury Town sign Norwich City midfielder on loan until January". BBC Sport. 24 August 2017. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
19. "Ben Godfrey's Shrewsbury loan extended". Norwich City F.C. 27 December 2017. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
20. "Games played by Ben Godfrey in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
21. "Norwich City 3–2 Bolton Wanderers". BBC Sport. 8 December 2018. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
22. "Norwich City 3–4 Derby County". BBC Sport. 29 December 2018. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
23. "Norwich 2–1 Blackburn - Match Report & Highlights". Sky Sports. 27 April 2019. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
24. "Liverpool 4–1 Norwich - Match Report & Highlights". Sky Sports. 10 August 2019. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
25. "Ben Godfrey: A captain's performance to forget". Vavel. 6 October 2019. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
26. "Norwich City 1–0 Bournemouth". BBC Sport. 18 January 2020. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
27. "Games played by Ben Godfrey in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
28. "Games played by Ben Godfrey in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
29. "Everton seal Godfrey signing". Everton F.C. 5 October 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
30. "Everton complete Ben Godfrey transfer from Norwich". The Athletic. 5 October 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
31. McNulty, Phil (17 October 2020). "Everton 2–2 Liverpool". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
    Addison, Matt (17 October 2020). "Everton signing Ben Godfrey handed debut against Liverpool after Seamus Coleman injury blow". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
32. Jones, Adam (17 October 2020). "Everton player ratings vs Liverpool as Jordan Pickford stands out in dramatic derby". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
33. "Everton 2020/21 Football Award Winners Revealed". Everton F.C. 21 May 2021. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
34. "Defender Benjamin Godfrey joins Atalanta! – Atalanta" . Retrieved 28 June 2024.
35. "Atalanta sign Godfrey in £10m deal from Everton". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
36. "Ben Godfrey to join Champions League side as Everton agree to sell defender in £10million deal". Talksport. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
37. "Final deal believed to have been for around £11m, plus add-ons and a sell-on clause". Joe Thomas of LiverpoolEcho. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
38. Veevers, Nicholas (14 March 2019). "Paul Simpson has picked his England U20s squad for games with Poland and Portugal". The Football Association. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
39. Veevers, Nicholas (21 March 2019). "Paul Simpson's Young Lions suffer defeat against Poland at St. George's Park". The Football Association. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
40. "Match Results Under 20: 1981–2019". England Football Online. 5 June 2021. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
41. Veevers, Nicholas (30 August 2019). "England U21s kick-off a new campaign and Aidy Boothroyd has picked his squad". The Football Association. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
42. "Eddie Nketiah and Reiss Nelson score as England U21s win opening Euro qualifier". The Football Association. 6 September 2019. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
43. Veevers, Nicholas (9 September 2019). "Phil Foden's double helps Young Lions to U21 Euro qualifying victory over Kosovo". The Football Association. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
    Veevers, Nicholas (15 November 2019). "Ben Godfrey assesses his journey from York City to Norwich City and England captaincy". The Football Association. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
44. "Eddie Nketiah and Ben Godfrey steer England MU21s to crucial victory". The Football Association. 8 September 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
45. "England name provisional Euro 2020 squad: Ben White, Ben Godfrey, Aaron Ramsdale and Sam Johnstone in". BBC Sport. 25 May 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
46. "Euro 2020: Trent Alexander-Arnold named in England's 26-man squad". BBC Sport. 1 June 2021. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
47. Matchett, Karl (1 June 2021). "England Euro 2020 squad: Gareth Southgate says Jesse Lingard to face Austria despite omission from final 26". The Independent. London. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
48. McNulty, Phil (2 June 2021). "England 1–0 Austria". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
49. McNulty, Phil (6 June 2021). "England 1–0 Romania". BBC Sport. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
50. "Games played by Ben Godfrey in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
51. "Games played by Ben Godfrey in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
52. "Games played by Ben Godfrey in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
53. "Games played by Ben Godfrey in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
54. "Games played by Ben Godfrey in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
55. "Games played by Ben Godfrey in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
56. "Godfrey, Ben". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
57. Scott, Ged (8 April 2018). "Lincoln City 1–0 Shrewsbury Town". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
58. Anderson, John, ed. (2019). Football Yearbook 2019–2020. London: Headline Publishing Group. pp. 258–259. ISBN   978-1-4722-6111-3.

External links

• Profile at the Everton F.C. website
• Profile at the Football Association website
• Ben Godfrey – UEFA competition record ( archive )