Kayode: A poster boy for Italy's new era

As a kid, Michael Kayode dreamed of becoming a sprinter like his idol, Usain Bolt.

These days, Kayode is still sprinting — albeit up and down the flanks of football fields instead of running tracks. And suddenly, the 22-year-old right-back is the face of a multiethnic revitalization of Italy's struggling national team.

Born in Italy to Nigerian parents, Kayode scored one goal and set up another in his debut for the Azzurri in Turkiye on Sept 28. He started again in a 1-1 draw with France in Paris on Friday.

Of the current Italy squad, five other players — Honest Ahanor, Issa Doumbia, Mohamed Ali Zoma, Moise Kean, Eddy Kouadio — are also of African descent.

Roberto Mancini, who was re-hired as coach after four-time champion Italy failed to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup, has been looking for new faces to inject energy into his team.

"It hurts to have not qualified for the World Cup, but whenever something bad happens, I always try to see it as a new beginning," Kayode said. "We're here to work hard and open a new cycle."

Dropped by Juventus

Kayode went from Italy's fourth division, Serie D, to the Premier League in a four-year span when he joined Brentford last year. The English club is having quite a start to the season, sitting in fourth place after pounding Chelsea 3-0 on the day that Kayode received his first call-up.

Before he dedicated himself to football, though, Kayode loved to run.

"I always watched Bolt at the Olympics and athletes like (Justin) Gatlin, (Yohan) Blake," Kayode said.

But since his father was always watching matches on TV, Kayode got interested in football, too.

At age six, Kayode started training at Juventus' youth academy, but the Turin club let him go at 14 and he ended up with Gozzano in Serie D.

Fiorentina then signed him to its youth academy and the rise has been rapid: his Serie A debut at 19, a spot in the starting lineup of a squad that reached the Conference League final, and the move to England.

National allegiance

While he could have played for Nigeria, Kayode also featured for Italy's youth squads, playing for the national under-18, U19 and U21 teams.

"Nigeria approached me, but it's an honor for anyone to play for Italy," Kayode said during his presentation at the national team's Coverciano training center last month.

At Coverciano, Kayode was also reunited with Alberto Bollini, who coached Italy's U19 team to the European Championship in 2023 and is now Mancini's assistant.

Kayode scored in the 1-0 victory over Portugal in the 2023 U19 Euros final.

"Seeing (Bollini) here again is fantastic. I owe him so much," Kayode said. "The feeling of winning that European Championship is unforgettable. I still look back at the photos and videos today."

Tremendous throw-ins

Since joining Brentford in January last year, Kayode has become known for his extraordinary ability at throw-ins — which have been measured at longer than 40 yards.

"I just woke up one day and discovered that I had these long throwins," Kayode said. "When I was at Fiorentina I didn't do it much, but then, when I went to England, I realized I had a coach who depended on them, so we started using set plays and tactics, and it's working."

The throw-ins have become so associated with Kayode that he did one on social media to announce the gender of his daughter, Amelie, who was born in August.

"Being a father at my age is an incredible feeling," Kayode said. "I don't think there is any greater joy."

AP