Robert Thomas Taylor (born 21 October 1994) is a Finnish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder and wing-back for Major League Soccer club Inter Miami and the Finland national team.
_(cropped).jpg) Taylor playing for JJK in 2015 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Robert Thomas Taylor[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 21 October 1994 | ||
| Place of birth | Kuopio, Finland | ||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder, wing-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Inter Miami | ||
| Number | 16 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2004–2008 | JJK | ||
| 2008–2009 | Nottingham Forest | ||
| 2009–2011 | JJK | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2011 | JJK | 0 | (0) |
| 2011 | → Huima (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2011–2013 | Lincoln City | 0 | (0) |
| 2013 | → Boston Town (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2013 | Barnet | 0 | (0) |
| 2013–2015 | JJK | 50 | (11) |
| 2013 | → Villiketut (reserves) | 6 | (3) |
| 2016–2017 | RoPS | 41 | (14) |
| 2017–2018 | AIK | 4 | (0) |
| 2018 | → Tromsø (loan) | 17 | (2) |
| 2018–2019 | Tromsø | 38 | (6) |
| 2020–2021 | Brann | 57 | (12) |
| 2022– | Inter Miami | 67 | (9) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2011 | Finland U17 | 2 | (0) |
| 2013 | Finland U19 | 2 | (0) |
| 2011 | Finland U20 | 2 | (0) |
| 2015–2016 | Finland U21 | 10 | (0) |
| 2017– | Finland | 34 | (2) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 31 March 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 20 November 2023 (UTC) | |||
Club career edit
Youth edit
Taylor joined the youth team at JJK in 2004, and stayed with the club until senior level. During this time, he had spells in the country of his father's birth, England, with Nottingham Forest and then Lincoln City, who he joined on a two-year scholarship in 2011.[2]
Boston Town (loan) edit
Taylor was loaned out to Boston Town of the United Counties League in 2013, where he made one appearance.[3]
Barnet edit
Later in 2013, he joined Barnet, where he was due to sign a professional contract, but this fell through following their relegation from the English Football League.[4]
JJK edit
Taylor played for JJK in the Ykkönen until 2015, when he joined Veikkausliiga side RoPS.
AIK edit
In July 2017, Taylor was transferred to AIK for €100,000.[5]
Tromsø (loan) edit
He joined Tromsø on loan for the 2018 season, and then permanently for the 2019 season.
Brann edit
On 20 January 2020, Taylor penned a three-year deal with Brann,[6] which saw Ruben Yttergård Jenssen go the other way.
Inter Miami edit
.jpg)
On 11 February 2022, Taylor moved to Major League Soccer side Inter Miami on a two-year deal with an option for a further year,[7] for a transfer fee of $500,000.[8] He was scouted by the club to play as a winger and made his debut in the season opener on 26 February, a 0–0 draw with the Chicago Fire.[9]
During the 2023 Leagues Cup, Taylor formed an attacking partnership with new Miami signings Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba that drew comparisons to Messi's earlier teammates Ángel Di María and Andrés Iniesta.[2][10] He scored five goals and had three assists in seven matches as the club won their first trophy.[10] On 25 October 2023, Inter Miami announced they had exercised their option to keep Taylor in Miami until the end of 2024.[11]
International career edit
Taylor has been capped by Finland at under-17, under-19, under-20, under-21 and senior level. He made his debut for the senior side on 9 January 2017 as a substitute in a 1–0 friendly win over Morocco.[12]
On 11 October 2020, Taylor scored his first goal in a 2–0 UEFA Nations League victory over Bulgaria.[13]
On 1 June 2021, Taylor was selected for Finland's UEFA Euro 2020 squad, but he did not appear in any of the matches of the tournament.[14]
In March 2024, after Taylor was already named in the Finland squad for the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying play-offs match against Wales, Taylor declined the call-up stating that he wants to focus more on an important MLS regular season match against New York Red Bulls.[15][16]
Personal life edit
Taylor's father Paul is an English former footballer who played for KuPS in the 1990s.[2] Paul resides in Jyväskylä and currently coaches youth teams in a local club Jyväskylän Komeetat.[17]
Career statistics edit
Club edit
- As of match played 3 April 2024
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| JJK | 2011[18] | Veikkausliiga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | ― | 1 | 0 | ||
| Huima (loan) | 2011[12] | Kolmonen | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ― | ― | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| Lincoln City | 2012–13[18] | Conference Premier | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ― | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Boston Town (loan) | 2012–13[12] | United Counties League | 1 | 0 | ― | ― | ― | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
| JJK | 2013[18] | Veikkausliiga | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ― | ― | 12 | 1 | ||
| 2014[18] | Ykkönen | 18 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ― | ― | 19 | 3 | |||
| 2015[18] | Ykkönen | 21 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ― | ― | 21 | 7 | |||
| Total | 50 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ― | ― | 53 | 11 | ||||
| RoPS | 2016[18] | Veikkausliiga | 31 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 4[c] | 1 | ― | 42 | 13 | |
| 2017[18] | Veikkausliiga | 10 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | ― | ― | 14 | 6 | |||
| Total | 41 | 14 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 1 | ― | 56 | 19 | |||
| AIK | 2017[18] | Allsvenskan | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ― | 0 | 0 | ― | 6 | 0 | ||
| Tromsø (loan) | 2018[18] | Eliteserien | 17 | 2 | 3 | 0 | ― | ― | ― | 20 | 2 | |||
| Tromsø | 2018[18] | Eliteserien | 10 | 2 | ― | ― | ― | ― | 10 | 2 | ||||
| 2019[18] | Eliteserien | 28 | 4 | 3 | 0 | ― | ― | ― | 31 | 4 | ||||
| Total | 55 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 61 | 8 | ||
| Brann | 2020[18] | Eliteserien | 30 | 6 | — | ― | ― | ― | 30 | 6 | ||||
| 2021[18] | Eliteserien | 27 | 6 | 2 | 2 | ― | ― | 1[d] | 0 | 30 | 8 | |||
| Total | 57 | 12 | 2 | 2 | ― | ― | 1 | 0 | 60 | 14 | ||||
| Inter Miami | 2022[18] | MLS | 33 | 3 | 3 | 0 | ― | ― | 1[e] | 0 | 37 | 3 | ||
| 2023[18] | MLS | 27 | 4 | 6 | 0 | ― | ― | 7[f] | 4 | 40 | 8 | |||
| 2024[18] | MLS | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | ― | 2[g] | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 3 | ||
| Total | 67 | 9 | 9 | 0 | ― | 2 | 1 | 8 | 4 | 86 | 14 | |||
| Career total | 276 | 54 | 24 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 4 | 323 | 66 | ||
- ^ Includes Finnish Cup, Svenska Cupen, Norwegian Cup, U.S. Open Cup
- ^ Includes Finnish League Cup
- ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa League
- ^ Appearance in Eliteserien relegation play-offs
- ^ Appearance in MLS Cup Playoffs
- ^ Appearances in Leagues Cup
- ^ Appearance(s) in CONCACAF Champions Cup
International edit
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finland | 2017 | 2 | 0 |
| 2018 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 7 | 1 | |
| 2021 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 7 | 1 | |
| Total | 34 | 2 | |
- As of match played 17 October 2023. Finland score listed first, score column indicates score after each Taylor goal.[19][20]
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 October 2020 | Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland | 13 |  Bulgaria |
1–0 | 2–0 | 2020–21 UEFA Nations League B |
| 2 | 17 October 2023 | Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland | 32 |  Kazakhstan |
1–0 | 1–2 | UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying |
Honours edit
Inter Miami
References edit
- ^ a b "altomfotball.no: Robert Taylor – Tromsø – Eliteserien, 2018". TV 2. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
- ^ a b c Burke, Elias (19 August 2023). "Robert Taylor won a 'golden ticket' to play with Messi, and he's taking advantage". The Athletic. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
- ^ "Scholars Out For Experience – News – Lincoln City". www.redimps.co.uk. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
- ^ Kaarkoski, Tuomas (6 May 2013). "Robert Taylor tekee paluun JJK:hon". KSML.fi – Keskisuomalainen (in Finnish). Retrieved 3 August 2019.
- ^ "BRIEF-AIK Fotboll signs on Robert Taylor from finnish fotball club..." Reuters. 4 July 2017. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
- ^ "Robert Taylor har signert for Brann".
- ^ "Inter Miami CF Signs Finnish International Attacker Robert Taylor | Inter Miami CF".
- ^ "Robert Taylor's game elevated since Lionel Messi joined". Miami Herald.
- ^ Kaufman, Michelle (2 March 2022). "This is why Finnish winger Robert Taylor moved 5,000 miles to play for Inter Miami". Miami Herald. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
- ^ a b Boehm, Charles (25 August 2023). "Robert Taylor: "Finnish Di María" enters Miami spotlight alongside Messi". MLSsoccer.com. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
- ^ Inter Miami CF Announces 2023 Roster Decisions, intermiamicf.com, 25 October 2023
- ^ a b c "Robert Taylor". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
- ^ Hirvonen, Hinni (11 October 2020). "Huuhkajat kukisti kotiyleisön edessä Bulgarian – Robert Taylorille maajoukkueuran avausmaali". Yle (in Finnish). Retrieved 12 October 2020.
- ^ "TÄSSÄ ON HUUHKAJIEN EM-KISAJOUKKUE!". Palloliitto. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
- ^ Näin Robert Taylor perustelee kuohuttanutta ratkaisuaan: ”Olisi ollut itsekästä”, Yle, 18 March 2024
- ^ Robert Taylorin vetäytymisestä lisätietoa – Huuhkajien tiedotuspäällikkö avaa kohupäätöksen taustoja, Yle, 18 March 2024
- ^ "Paul Taylor Komeettoihin | Jyväskylän Komeetat Ry". www.komeetat.fi. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Robert Taylor at Soccerway. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
- ^ a b "Robert Taylor". Football Association of Finland (in Finnish). Retrieved 16 June 2021.
- ^ a b "Robert Taylor". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
- ^ Sigal, Jonathan (20 August 2023). "Lionel Messi & Inter Miami are Leagues Cup champions!". MLS Soccer. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
External links edit
- Robert Taylor at the Brann website (in Norwegian)