Martial Godo

DOB: 14th March 2003

Position: Winger

Season of first appearance: 2021/22

Season of last appearance: 2021/22

Full Appearances: 13

Substitute: 10

Goals: 3

Also played for:

Fulham, Wigan Athletic, Strasbourg

Player Profile:

Left-winger Martial dual-registered with Margate at the start of the 2021-22 season as an 18-year-old from Dartford Academy.

Martial featured in pre-season and came on as a 65th minute sub in Margate's 5-2 Thanet Cup win at Ramsgate on 31.7.21. He set up our fifth goal for Montel Agyemang. 

His first Margate Isthmian League appearance was as a 78th minute sub in a 2-1 home win over Cray Wanderers on 30.8.21.

Further sub appearances followed, including on 25.9.21 when Martial scored his first senior goal - a 90th minute winner in a 2-1 victory over Enfield Town at Hartsdown Park when he converted a Ryan Palmer cross from close range.

Martial eventually became a regular starter in the side, starting with a 3-2 FA Trophy defeat at Needham Market on 13.11.21.

His next goal was Margate’s first in a 3-2 win at Cray Wanderers on 27.12.21. He also scored in the next game, a 3-1 win against Folkestone at Hartsdown on 1.1.22.

Martial started to attract attention from the professional game and spent time at Championship side Fulham in February on trial. He scored on his debut for the U21s in a 2-1 win at Stoke and again in a Premier League Cup victory against Colchester United at Motspur Park. Fulham signed him permanently in March. 

Margate manager Jay Saunders said: “It was a pleasure to work with Martial and to be able to give him the chance to create this opportunity he has now with Fulham.”

In total, he made 23 appearances for Margate, including ten as a sub.

Martial joined Fulham’s U21 squad but made one appearance for the first-team, coming on as a half-time substitute in a 2-0 League Cup defeat at Crawley Town on 23.8.22.

He signed a new two-year deal with Fulham in August 2023 and the following month joined League One Wigan Athletic on a season-long loan. Martial was in Wigan’s starting XI against the team he supported as a boy, Manchester United, in an FA Cup Third Round tie on 8.1.24.

In an interview with the Daily Telegraph before the game against Manchester United, he said of his time at Margate: “You get smashed and you get back up. It helped me become a man. It was about changing my mentality, to just get back up.”

On 16.11.23, Martial made his England U20 debut as a substitute during a 3-0 defeat to Italy at Doncaster Rovers. On 20.11.23, Martial scored an own goal but provided an assist for an equaliser in a 3-2 victory over Germany U20 in Switzerland.

After featuring for Fulham's first-team in pre-season in summer 2024, Martial signed a new deal with the club until 2028.

Martial made his Premier League debut for Fulham at home to Southampton when he came on as a 76th minute sub in a 0-0 draw on 22.12.24.

In May 2025, Martial was called up to the Ivory Coast U23 side and made his debut for them in a 3-0 defeat to Netherlands U23 on 6.6.25.

After a total of six first-team appearances for Fulham, in September 2025, Martial was sold to French club Strasbourg.