Godfrey’s England call up only made Everton star more hungry to fulfil potential

Ben Godfrey will never forget the proud look from his parents when he FaceTimed back in May to tell them he had received his first England call up.

But, for the Everton defender, it is only a step on his journey rather than the destination.

It is a path he has visualised but he has also taken it with the support of his family, guidance from Rio Ferdinand and the help of some superstitions.

Godfrey, 23, may have gone from playing League Two at 17 to playing for the Three Lions but it hasn't satisfied his hunger.

And if he was to start thinking he has reached the summit then it would be parents Alex and Sharon who would bring him back down with a bang.

“I FaceTimed them and their faces will always stay with me,” said the Toffees defender.

“They were just over the moon. It is a special feeling. They put a lot into the journey as well.

“They were buzzing for me.”

Godfrey got called up to Gareth Southgate's provisional Euro 2020 squad in the summer and the York-born defender featured in the pre-tournament friendlies against Austria and Romania.

Yet he didn't make the final cut when Southgate trimmed down the squad.

“It gave me a taste of what it is like to be involved in it,” he said.

“It is obviously great and a really proud moment for me and my family for me to be called up and something I will never forget.

“But when you have aimed to play for your country all your life and you do it then it can go a couple of ways.

“If anything getting cut from the squad just made me hungrier to improve as a player and showed me the levels I want to achieve, what I need to do and in no way shape or form has that made me think, 'That's it, it's done'.

“It has driven me to practice even more and learn from it.

“My aim from now on is to be called up to the squad and to remain in there for major competitions. People who know me will understand that as well. It has only made me hungrier.

“That's the mindset you have to have when you want to achieve great things.

“Going back to my family, they're in that same mindset.

“If I was to ever let my feet come off the ground or take a few percent off my training or anything like that they would be the first ones to remind me of where I want to go on this journey.”

Godfrey's performances and versatility in his debut season at Everton under Carlo Ancelotti earned him the call up.

It has been all part of the rise for the talented young defender, who is now hoping to shine under Rafa Benitez at centre back.

"Everyone has bought into his ideas and his philosophy at the moment, it is never easy for a manager coming in and just having pre-season to get across the way he wants us to play," said Godfrey.

"It's not easy but he's done it unbelievably well, we have started well, it is a long season and he is taking time out to coach me as well which I've really enjoyed.

“He's worked with top players and won things himself, to have him as a coach is massive,” said Godfrey.

“I'm learning each and every day."

From starting out at York City, being rejected by Middlesbrough and Leeds before going back to his hometown club to cut his teeth in League Two, Godfrey's journey has been different to others.

He impressed and Norwich swooped in 2016 before a £25m move to Goodison Park last summer.

It was mum Sharon who encouraged him to return to York when he felt “unwanted”. It was a decision which ended up being the making of his career.

“As all mothers do, they don't want to see their sons going through that rejection period and being upset,” said Godfrey.

“When you are young and you are going through them ups and downs it all seems a million miles away but the reality is you can achieve anything you put your mind to.

“When I got that England call it was a special moment.”

His family, which includes sisters Levi and Sylvie, have supported him all the way. He has tributes to them in the form of tattoos.

Every step on his path has been visualised by Godfrey. It was a habit he picked up from his dad Alex, a former rugby league player, when he was a kid.

“I'm a massive believer in visualising what you want to achieve, writing your goals down, and visualising what it will be like when you achieve them,” he said.

“It is something I've done since I was a kid as well through my dad.

“When I was a kid, even at seven, eight, nine, 10, he would come up to my bedroom and talk to me about how I can visualise what I will do in a game the next day.

“That routine was set. It was only a few years ago that I realised it worked.

“Everything that I visualised and wanted to do I found myself achieving it or that I'm heading towards it.”

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No doubt he will have visualised getting on the plane to Qatar next year for the World Cup.

“I can imagine it is in the aim of every young English lad who is playing at the minute,” said Godfrey.

“It is a natural thing to do.

“I've got a lot that I want to improve on and I'm going to work hard to perform consistently for Everton and hopefully put myself in with a chance of being involved in that World Cup.”

While family is so important to Godfrey, he does have another mentor. And not a bad one at that.

Former England and Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand is always on the other end of the phone for him thanks to their relationship with the same agency.

“There are not many better mentors for a young defender to have,” he said.

“He could be doing a million other things, but he takes time to go through my clips with me, he always says to give him a shout.

“If I'm watching my clips and I see something I need to go through, he is only ever a text away.

“For me to soak up information off him is massive with his knowledge of the game and what he has achieved. I've got to continue to use him.”

But one thing Evertonians will be glad about, is that Ferdinand failed to convince Manchester United to snap up the defender.

“I'm sure the fans are grateful I'm at Everton,” he said.

Godfrey has his family behind him, the support of the Toffees, his visualisation techniques and an England great on the end of the phone any time he needs guidance.

But he still has plenty of superstitions to go through before each game.

When he is in the Villa Park dressing room ahead of Saturday's teatime kick-off between the Toffees and Aston Villa, there will be certain procedures which just have to be observed.

“We would be here for hours if I went through them all,” he said.

“The strangest one, maybe it is that everything is done left before right so arm through a t-shirt, socks, shin pads, boot on.

“Just before the game kicks off there are four jumps and two shuffles side to side.

“Once you do your own little routine, you feel invincible and feel like, 'I'm ready now'.”

Godfrey will be hoping to be going through that routine for many years to come for both club and country.

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