Gennaro Gattuso left out one of the Premier League’s most consistent young right-backs when naming Italy’s World Cup playoff squad. His name is Michael Olabode Kayode, and Nigeria hasn’t missed the significance of that decision for a single second.
Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso has handed the Super Eagles an unexpected opportunity. In naming his squad for the crucial World Cup playoff against Northern Ireland, Gattuso left out Brentford’s Michael Kayode entirely, choosing Cagliari’s 21-year-old Marco Palestra in his place. Kayode wasn’t included in the Under-21 setup either. That’s two doors closed in one announcement.
The problem for Italy is that Kayode has not yet played a single senior competitive minute for the Azzurri. Under FIFA eligibility rules, that means the door to the Super Eagles remains wide open. Eric Chelle is watching. Nigerian football is watching. And if Italy keep looking the other way, this one won’t take long to resolve itself.
A Yoruba Boy Born in Northern Italy
The full name is Michael Olabode Kayode. Born on July 10, 2004, in Borgomanero — a small town in the Piedmont region of northern Italy — to Yoruba Nigerian parents. He’s 21 years old, holds dual Italian and Nigerian nationality, and plays right-back for Brentford in the Premier League, wearing the number 33 shirt.
His journey to the top wasn’t a straight line. He spent seven years in Juventus’s youth academy before dropping down to Serie D with Gozzano, where he scored two goals in 34 matches and helped the club earn promotion to Serie C. He called it “a step backwards to make two forwards.” From there he moved to Fiorentina, broke into their first team in August 2023, and by January 2025 Brentford had seen enough to bring him in on loan with an option to buy. That option was triggered permanently by May. He’s been at Brentford ever since, contracted until June 2030.
What He’s Done This Season
Kayode has started 29 of Brentford’s Premier League matches this season, missed barely a game, and scored his first top-flight goal in a 2-2 draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers. His Sofascore rating for that match was 7.7. He’s been one of the more dependable right-backs in the league, combining pace with genuine defensive discipline and an unusual long-throw ability that’s become a genuine attacking weapon for Brentford.
Transfermarkt puts his current market value at around €35 million. Brentford, with his contract running until 2030, are in no rush and will want considerably more than that if the phone starts ringing. PSG and Chelsea are already said to be interested. Manchester City, Juventus, Arsenal, and Tottenham are all monitoring him. That’s the level of player Gattuso just left out of a World Cup playoff squad.
The Signal Nigeria Has Been Waiting For
This isn’t the first time Kayode’s connection to Nigeria has surfaced. He was previously spotted following the Super Eagles’ official social media accounts and liking posts tied to the national team. Those were small signals, but football doesn’t do small signals quietly. Nigerian fans noticed. So did the coaching staff.
Right now, Calvin Bassey is Nigeria’s most prominent defensive asset at the back. Kayode, at 21 and valued at €35 million, has the profile to challenge and eventually overtake that standing if he commits to the green-and-white. The Super Eagles need cover and competition at right-back, and Kayode fits the profile exactly. Whether Chelle’s team can get to him before Italy decide to change their mind is the question that now hangs over this story.
Gattuso said he wanted “a core of trusted and experienced players” for such a big match. That’s a manager under pressure talking. Italy have missed the last two World Cups and can’t afford another slip. But in trying to protect themselves with experience, they may have just handed Nigeria a generational talent on a plate. For Nigerian fans tracking this one ahead of the Eagles’ upcoming friendlies against Iran and Jordan, it’s worth noting the latest Bet9ja promo code is live if you’re planning to back the Eagles. You can also grab the Bet9ja YOHAIG code to claim your welcome bonus before kick-off.
📌 Did You Know?
- Kayode spent seven full years in Juventus’s youth academy before leaving in 2018, making him one of the most thoroughly schooled young defenders to come through Italian football’s elite academy system.
- His long throws have drawn comparisons to Rory Delap, the former Stoke City midfielder whose throw-ins were considered a genuine set-piece weapon in the Premier League during the late 2000s. ESPN ran a dedicated feature on Kayode’s throws this season.
- Kayode’s Serie A debut for Fiorentina came on August 19, 2023, in a 4-1 away win over Genoa — an emphatic introduction to top-flight Italian football for a then-19-year-old.
- The right-back spot has historically been a contested position for the Super Eagles. Ola Aina, who held it for years, announced his international retirement in 2024, leaving Eric Chelle actively searching for a long-term solution.
- Nigeria’s record for transfer fee received is held by Victor Osimhen’s move from Napoli to Galatasaray. If Kayode’s valuation continues to rise, a commitment to the Super Eagles could make him one of the most valuable active defenders ever to represent the Eagles.
- Italy have now missed two consecutive FIFA World Cups (2018 and 2022) and are in a playoff for 2026. The pressure on Gattuso to qualify is immense, which partly explains why he’s prioritised experience over Kayode’s emerging form.
- Kayode’s Brentford teammate and fellow Nigerian-eligible player Sepp van den Berg committed to the Netherlands national team in 2024, a reminder that dual-nationality decisions don’t always go Nigeria’s way once a European nation moves decisively.
