Ben Godfrey

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…

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 on 21 March when starting the 3–1 defeat at home to Poland. He made his second and final appearance for the under-20s in the following match, a 1–0 defeat away to Portugal on 26 March, as England finished in fourth place in the Under 20 Elite League. 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 on 9 September. Godfrey scored his first international goal on 8 September 2020 in a 2–1 away win against Austria in 2021 European Under-21 Championship qualification with a sliding finish after a well-timed run. He was in England's squad for the 2021 European Under-21 Championship and played in their first two matches in the group stage before missing the third and final match through injury. England were eliminated from the tournament after finishing bottom of a four-team group. Godfrey finished his under-21 career with nine appearances and one goal from 2019 to 2021. On 25 May 2021, Godfrey was called up as part of Gareth Southgate's 33-man provisional England squad for the…

Godfrey primarily plays as a centre-back, but also played in central midfield and at full-back in his early career.

Benjamin Matthew Godfrey was born on 15 January 1998 in York, North Yorkshire, England. When young, he attended Archbishop Holgate's School. His father, Alex Godfrey, is a retired professional rugby league footballer. Godfrey is of Jamaican descent through his paternal grandfather.