Michael Kayode: Much More Than a Long Throw | OneFootball

Type ‘Michael Kayode’ into YouTube, and the first suggested search you’re presented with isn’t about his last-ditch defending or lung-busting runs; it’s, perhaps unsurprisingly, ‘Michael Kayode long throw’.

That’s only a small snapshot, but it hints at a wider perception, beyond Brentford supporters and a small section of knowledgeable neutrals, that the set-piece is all that Kayode offers.

His place on the Premier League Young Player of the Season shortlist tells a fuller story of a defender whose game extends well beyond one much-discussed throw-in.

Asked if it frustrates him that, generally, people only speak about him in conjunction with the set-piece, he answers: “Yes, definitely!

“There are lots of other parts of my game. Okay, it’s good to have a long throw-in but that’s not my whole game.

“People think that you can play in the Premier League just because you have a good throw-in? That’s crazy!”

And you don’t need to look too far to find some compelling evidence that dispels the myth that Kayode is just a human catapult.

No one will be shocked by the impressive defensive numbers he is producing this season: only a dozen or so have made more interceptions and tackles than Kayode.

But one of the standout stats around the right-back is his dribbling numbers. He currently sits seventh in the league for successful dribbles (50), higher than any other defender, ranking above the likes of Rayan Cherki, Morgan Rogers and Florian Wirtz.

Of course, Brentford fans won’t be surprised by this.

Seeing his quick, powerful and slightly unorthodox runs from right-back, which he acknowledges make him more unpredictable for opposition players, is something they’ve become accustomed to ever since the 21-year-old moved to west London from Fiorentina in January 2025.

And it didn’t really come as a shock to Kayode either when the stat was presented to him.

He responds: “It only maybe surprises me that I’m this high on the list, because I’m a right-back… I don’t play like Bukayo Saka, Jérémy Doku, or someone like that.

“But I love to dribble! I want to take risks, I want to come out with the ball, I want to try something. But, of course, the most important thing is to try not to lose the ball.

“I always try to get forward as much as possible. It’s not easy because the opponents in the Premier League are so good, but I try to play forward every time, if I can.

“It’s always been a part of my game. When I was young, I played on the wing, so it probably comes from that.

“I would also love watching players who dribbled: Ronaldinho and Neymar, for example.

“But then I became a defender!”

A defender with the dribbling of a Brazilian and the passing of a, well, Italian, if his compatriot Andrea Pirlo was anything to go by.

This season, Kayode sits fourth for key passes from a defender in the Premier League, with only Pedro Porro, Neco Williams and Marc Cucurella ahead of him.

His creativity was most prominently on show in Brentford’s 2-0 win over West Ham United at London Stadium, when Kayode became the first Bees player ever to create six chances from open play in a Premier League match.

On those passing stats, he comments: “For a full-back, crossing is key, so I work a lot on that. I also talk a lot with [Igor] Thiago and Kev [Schade].

“It helps that both of them are very good headers of the ball, and I just ask them, ‘How do you want me to cross it?’ They tell me, and I try to do it."

Kayode has contributed a goal and an assist of his own this season, while his right-side sidekick Dango Ouattara has 13 goal contributions.

And Kayode spoke about his relationship with the winger, and how they’re beginning to talk the same language on and off the pitch.

The defender explains: “Dango is a top player and he loves to dribble, too! One-v-one he is amazing and with both feet… wow. He’s doing very well.

“He also does a crazy job defensively - he’s always there when I need him, and then he’s ready to attack again!

“I speak a lot with him and we have a very good relationship. We laugh a lot and we both speak French… I’m not very good but he is helping to teach me!”

Another relationship Kayode beams about is the one he has with his head coach, Keith Andrews: “I already knew him well before he was appointed because of his work on the set-pieces last season. He’s an amazing coach and an amazing person. I love him!

“As soon as I joined the club, we talked a lot. Even when I wasn’t playing, he was always speaking with me.

“He gives me a lot of freedom. Of course, he will say to me, ‘Do this and do that’, but he allows me to express myself on the pitch.

“I know him and he knows me. For me, that is very good."

Conversations about Andrews and set-pieces naturally bring the discussion back to throw-ins and, despite the opening to this interview, the topic is not completely banned. Far from it.

Kayode breaks into a wide grin, as he so often does, when the set-piece is mentioned.

And you’d be smiling too, given just how productive those deliveries have become. In total, Brentford have had 40 shots from throw-ins this season and scored five times.

Discussing the strategy when he’s lining up to hurl one into the box, he says: “It depends on various things.

“One of those is the position of the goalkeeper, because you don’t want him to just come out and catch it.

“You also need to look at what the opponent is doing. Sometimes I throw it short because, if everyone is so deep, I will have a lot of space to get it back, have a two-v-one and it’s easier for me to cross it.

“Sometimes I’ll aim towards the near post, looking for the flick-on, because everyone runs towards that and then there will be lots of space at the far post to score.

“We saw that for the Dango goal against Liverpool and Fábio Carvalho’s against Chelsea.”

But if any set-piece coaches or long-throw hopefuls are reading this in search of the secret behind Kayode's delivery, they may be disappointed.

He laughs: “I just run and throw it!

“I don’t know the secret, I never really think about it. Maybe a combination of my flexibility and my strength… but I have no idea!”

Kayode continues: “The perfect long throw? Flat and strong. All I need is a dry ball.

“If I worked on my shoulders and my arms, it can probably get better! But I’ve never even practised it, I just throw it.”

After asking how he does it, the other burning question most people want to know the answer to is how he discovered he could do it.

“I was 16 and I was playing in the fourth division of Italy,” reveals Kayode.

“We were in the gym and my team-mates were just taking throw-ins for fun. They said, ‘Michael, you have a go.’

“So I grabbed the ball and just threw it. Everyone was shocked… they were speechless!

“After that, my coach pulled me to the side and asked me to keep practising it. He said: ‘This is a weapon, we can use it.’”

Whilst Kayode isn’t necessarily that keen on his name and throw-ins being constantly paired, YouTube’s predictive search function actually proved useful when he was investigating probably the only other footballer so closely associated with the set-piece.

He says: “Just before I joined, I saw that Brentford did a lot of long throw-ins, so I Googled it to find out more. And all I would see is, ‘Rory Delap’.

“And since I’ve moved to the Premier League, I heard people talk about him. So, out of curiosity, I thought I’d watch some of his throw-ins on YouTube!

“They are amazing throws. Ours are different; his are flatter and more powerful. I would say his are slightly better than mine.

“But maybe I can practise and be better than him one day!”