Introduction
Benjamin Matthew Godfrey (born 15 January 1998) is an English professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder or centre back for Premier League club Norwich City and the England national under-21 team.
Early and personal life
Godfrey was born in York, North Yorkshire and attended Archbishop Holgate's School. His father Alex Godfrey is a former professional rugby league footballer.
Club career
Early career
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. This was the first time a team from York had won an English Schools' FA competition. He started his career with York City's youth system, before moving to Middlesbrough in the summer of 2011. After being released by the club, he had trials with Leeds United and Sheffield Wednesday, before returning to York at under-15 level, with whom he started his scholarship. Godfrey captained York's under-18 team in the 2014–15 season, while still a first-year scholar. His first involvement with the first team came as an unused substitute in a League Two match against Newport County on 11 October 2014. Godfrey made his debut aged 17 when starting York's 1–0 home win over Yeovil Town on 18 August 2015. 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.
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. 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. Godfrey made his league debut in a 2–0 home win over Birmingham City on 28 January 2017 as an 81st-minute substitute. He signed a new four-year contract with Norwich on 11 August 2017, keeping him at the club until the summer of 2021.
On 24 August 2017, Godfrey joined League One club Shrewsbury Town on loan until 1 January 2018. The deal was later extended to the end of the season.
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. He made his debut in the 3–1 defeat at home to Poland.
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. He made his debut as an 81st minute substitute during a 3–2 away win against Turkey on 6 September. He started the following match as captain, as England beat Kosovo 2–0 at home.
Style of play
Godfrey primarily plays as a centre back, but can also play as a central midfielder.
Career statistics
- As of match played 7 March 2020
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| York City | 2014–15 | League Two | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015–16 | League Two | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 1 | |
| Total | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 1 | ||
| Norwich City | 2015–16 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2016–17 | Championship | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | 6 | 1 | ||
| 2017–18 | Championship | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2018–19 | Championship | 31 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 36 | 4 | ||
| 2019–20 | Premier League | 21 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 23 | 0 | ||
| Total | 54 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 1 | — | 65 | 5 | |||
| Norwich City U23 | 2016–17 | — | — | — | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||||
| Shrewsbury Town (loan) | 2017–18 | League One | 40 | 1 | 4 | 0 | — | 7 | 0 | 51 | 1 | |
| Career total | 106 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 12 | 0 | 135 | 7 | ||
Honours
Shrewsbury Town
- EFL Trophy runner-up: 2017–18
Norwich City
- EFL Championship: 2018–19