He is a retired Belgian professional road bicycle racer and former directeur sportif of Team Telekom, later known as T-Mobile Team, professional team.
Godefroot was a specialist in one-day classic cycle races, winning the Liège-Bastogne-Liège (1967), Paris-Roubaix (1969), and the Tour of Flanders (1968, 1978).
He won a bronze medal in the individual road race at the 1964 Summer Olympics.
On 25 May 2007 Bjarne Riis, winner of the 1996 Tour de France and member of Team Telekom of which Godefroot was coach, admitted using EPO. Riis claims Godefroot turned a blind eye to drug use on the team.
Besides winning the green jersey at the 1970 Tour de France, Godefroot was the first to win the final stage on the Champs-Élysées stage in the Tour de France.