Brentford of England’s Nigerian-born defender, Michael Olabode Kayode is yet to hit the peak of his abilities and he knows areas where he needs to improve his game, which would make him an unmistakable asset for the club and his country of bith, Italy.
Sports247 reports that this assessment of the versatile right-wing-back and long-throw specialist was provided by respected Italian scout, Andrea Ritorni, who added that Kayode has better days ahead of him, though he is now a full-fledged Italy international.
The dark-skinned defender hogged headlines during the week when he slammed home a stunner for The Azzurri, leaving many fans mouth agape, and Ritorni admitted he is happy seeing that Kayode has established himself after leaving Fiorentina in 2025.
This comes after Kayode initially joined The Bees on loan in January before completing a full transfer in the summer, following which he snubbed offers to star for Nigeria and then broke into Italy’s senior national team, after opting to play in a stronger league.
Ritorni, who represents Vigo Global Sport, told FiorentinaNews, “Kayode left Florence with great gratitude, but he went to a stronger league that better suits his characteristics than the Italian one, because of his physicality.
“(It’s also) because of the football culture (in England). He initially sat on the bench at Brentford, then he carved out his own role, charting his own path, and became a starter. He still has some areas to improve, but he knows it.”
Sports247 gathered further that Kayode was born in Borgomanero, Italy to Nigerian parents and started his career at the academy of Juventus, where he remained for seven years until 2018, then played the 2020–21 season with Gozzano in Serie D.
He scored two goals and provided two assists in 34 matches for Gozzano, which bhe helped gain promotion to Serie C, then joined Fiorentina during 2021, following which he won Coppa Italia Primavera and Supercoppa Italiana Primavera.
Kayode made his Serie A debut for Fiorentina in a 4-1 away victory over Genoa on August 19th, 2023 but moved to Brentford in January 2025 and The Bees later signed him fully in May 2025, on a contract that is billed to run until 2030.
He represented Italy at U18 and U19 levels, then got his debut with their under-21 in a 2-0 win against Norway in Bolzano on October 17th, 2023 , following which he was invited to the senior national team in September 2026.
Kayode, who can play as a left-back or in a double pivot as a third centre-back, scored his first goal for the Italian national team on Monday, which happened to be his international debut, and it came in a 4–1 away win over Turkey in the UEFA Nations League.
