Michael Kayode has reflected on finally reaching the senior Italy squad and the part Brentford have played in developing his game.
Michael Kayode had been working towards a senior Italy call-up for some time before the news finally arrived on his phone last week.
The Brentford right-back was previously not selected by Gennaro Gattuso for Italy's World Cup play-offs in March, despite his form in the Premier League, and instead joined the Under-21 squad later in that international window. By May, he was openly targeting the step up and had already spoken with members of the senior national-team staff about his intent.
Four months later, Kayode finds himself amongst nine uncapped players in his first squad since returning as Italy head coach. It’s the 22-year-old's first senior call-up after representing his country throughout the age groups and winning the European Under-19 Championship in 2023.
And even despite his great form through the end of last season, the defender was not expecting the call-up.
“Obviously, before the game I didn't know about the call-up,” he said. “As soon as the match finished, I checked my phone and found out that I had been called up, so I was absolutely delighted, especially after the great win we had on Friday against Chelsea.
“It was an incredible feeling.”
That wait has taken him from Italy's youth teams, through Fiorentina and into a second full Premier League season with Brentford. His first few days back at Coverciano have also given him the chance to learn from players who are already established internationals.
Giovanni Di Lorenzo is one of them. Kayode had spoken to the Napoli defender when they faced each other in Serie A and has found him useful again now they are teammates.
“I had spoken to Di Lorenzo several times when I was at Fiorentina, and we played against each other, so we had already had a few conversations,” Kayode said.
“Yesterday on the pitch we also spoke a lot about the tactical side of things. He helps me a lot and I think he is a great source of inspiration for me.
“For me, that was really important, especially in yesterday's training session, because by talking and working tactically I can quickly understand what the coach wants. The fact that he came over to speak to me means a lot because I think there is always something to learn, especially when you are young.”
Gianluigi Donnarumma has made an impression for similar reasons. Kayode described having a goalkeeper of his calibre as captain around the squad as “fantastic”, with simply listening to him being another part of the learning process.
Kayode has already spoken before about how much regular football in England has helped him. He joined Brentford from Fiorentina in January 2025 and has developed into far more than the player whose long throw first attracted so much attention.
“I sort of woke up one day and discovered that I had a long throw,” Kayode said. “When I was still in Florence, we didn't use it very much, but as soon as I went to the Premier League, I discovered they even had a coach who worked on those kinds of things.
“From there we started working on routines and tactics, and I think it is going well. Now pretty much every team uses it.”
The Italian Football Federation says Kayode's throws can travel more than 65 metres, but its own profile of the defender this week also focused on the broader progress behind his first senior selection. Kayode spoke about improving several parts of his game since moving to England and placed particular value on getting regular minutes rather than simply comparing Serie A with the Premier League.
His route to the senior squad has not been completely straightforward. The March window ended with Kayode playing for the Under-21s rather than competing in Italy's World Cup play-offs, while the months which followed brought another strong finish to the season with Brentford.
Fast forward six months and Kayode is now competing with Di Lorenzo and the rest of Mancini's defensive options for his first senior cap, with Italy facing four Nations League matches during the international window. The long throw gives his new head coach something unusual, but the call-up itself is another measure of how far Kayode's game has moved on since leaving Florence.
