Ben Godfrey is treating his move to Rangers as more than a fresh start. The 28-year-old says the pressure at Ibrox suits him, he wants to drive standards, and he still sees strong club form as part of the road back towards England after being capped twice in 2021.

Leadership at Ibrox

“At 28, I have experienced a lot - I can drive standards every day, that's the type of character I am,” Ben Godfrey said. “I like to lead, I can bring that personality to the pitch.”

That is the tone of his Rangers move. Godfrey described the club as the perfect place for him because of its history and size, and he was clear that pressure should be used in a positive way. He also said the manager values character and is selective about the right people for the dressing room.

The setting is not calm. Rangers lost four of their last five league matches, and they finished the 2025 Premiership championship round in third with 72 points. Godfrey is arriving into a team that expects more than that.

Rangers made him their third signing of the summer, after Lawrence Shankland and Ross McCrorie, with Ivor Pandur and Dan Neil added since.

What Atalanta and England mean now

Godfrey's background makes the pitch for leadership easier to understand. At Atalanta, he made just five substitute appearances, totalling 93 minutes, and said the game there was played differently, tactically and technically.

That spell was short on minutes, but he framed it as useful in terms of learning. It also helps explain why Rangers has become the place where he wants to reassert himself.

He is not hiding the longer-term ambition either. “I've always got that hunger, but, listen, the club football, if that’s successful and you are performing consistently, the rest will take care of itself,” he said. “My focus is on playing well for Rangers and winning games.”

That is the part of the move that will interest England watchers most. Godfrey was capped twice by England in 2021, and he is plainly still thinking about that level. For now, though, the evidence says Rangers comes first, and his first task is to turn a pressured Ibrox environment into the kind of platform he thinks suits him.

Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →