BEN GODFREY spent ages learning Spanish to prepare for his big move abroad — and ended up in Italy.
Yet Serie A did not go quite as planned for defender Godfrey, who was 27 yesterday.
Ben Godfrey joined Atalanta in the summer transfer windowGetty
GettyHe struggled for game time during his short stay in Italy[/caption]
ReutersHe signed for Ipswich this month[/caption]
Now his goal is to help Ipswich stay up — and get back in the England fold if possible.
Ahead of Brighton’s visit tonight, on-loan Atalanta centre-back Godfrey said: “I learned Spanish for over a year but then ended up in Italy having to start again.
“Although I enjoy learning languages, it was a part of the move I looked forward to.
“I speak Italian quite well now but it is always hard moving your family to a different country and adapting.
“Straight after training, I was in lessons and there were also tactical things that needed translating for me, which was difficult.
“The first week or two, when the manager was speaking, I could understand absolutely zero.”
Godfrey was a Carlo Ancelotti signing at Everton and he caught up with the Real Madrid boss earlier this season.
Though a loan switch to the Champions League holders was never on the cards.
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Godfrey joked: “Me and Ancelotti are still in touch but we are not that tight!”
Atalanta signed him from the Toffees for £10million last June but manager Gian Piero Gasperini hardly picked him.
And Godfrey said: “I’m a very competitive person so when football got taken out of my life it was very difficult.
“The last six months has highlighted that not everything every day can go your way.
“As an English lad, to go abroad and things not go your way, that is deep water.
“I was chucked in the deep end but I back myself to get through and move forward.”
Godfrey was capped twice by Gareth Southgate in friendlies in 2021.
Now he hopes to catch the eye of new Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel.
He said: “It has been a few years since I have been in there. All I can do is focus on my performances.”
Godfrey made his Town debut in Sunday’s 3-0 FA Cup win at home to Bristol Rovers — and the Tractor Boys faithful did not seem to mind he used to play for Norwich.
The former York City man helped get the Canaries into the Premier League in 2019.
Godfrey, who joins a side struggling to keep their Prem status, said: “Players move on and things change. The fans gave me a nice welcome.”
There is also a familiar face at Portman Road — summer signing Jack Clarke, his former schoolmate at the Archbishop Holgate’s School in York.
Godfrey added: “It’s great to be in the same team.”
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