Kieft praises Godts' goal, but doubts its impact against Italy

In the Nations League duel between Belgium and Italy, the young Mika Godts, who is under contract with Paris Saint-Germain, scored a brilliant goal after just twenty minutes, giving the Red Devils a temporary lead. This action immediately caught the attention of former footballer Wim Kieft, who expressed his admiration in the podcast KieftJansenEgmondGijp.

Kieft praises Godts' goal

Wim Kieft is impressed by Godts' ball skill and called the strike a ‘beautiful dribble’. He praised the movements of the 19‑year‑old and said: “That goal Godts scored against Italy was beautiful, that dribble. Four of those Italians would go in like madmen, that would never have happened with Baresi, Maldini and Costacurta.”

National team coach Mark van Bommel had included Godts in the Red Devils' squad. As a result, the young striker from Paris Saint-Germain immediately got his chance in the Nations League duel.

After twenty minutes of play, Godts put the team ahead with a splendid strike. Italy scored twice later, causing the match to end in a 0‑2 defeat for Belgium.

Kieft, however, remains skeptical about the feasibility of such a goal against another Italian eleven. He suspects that Godts would not have scored that strike against a stronger defence.

He wonders why the level of Italian football and Serie A has declined so dramatically over the past ten to twelve years. Kieft points to the massive recruitment of foreign players at the expense of domestic development.

According to Kieft this is a warning for other nations: without focus on homegrown talent development, even a prestigious competition can lose its appeal. The discussion around Godts' goal underscores the growing role of young Belgian talents abroad.