Robert Taylor (footballer, born 1994)

For other people named Robert Taylor, see Robert Taylor (disambiguation).

Robert Taylor

Taylor playing for JJK in 2015
Personal information
Full name	Robert Thomas Taylor [1]
Date of birth	(1994-10-21) 21 October 1994 (age 29)
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	82	(11)
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 20 July 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 20 November 2023 (UTC)

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.

Youth career

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]

Club career

Boston Town (loan)

Taylor was loaned out to Boston Town of the United Counties League in 2013, where he made one appearance. ^[3]

Barnet

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

Taylor played for JJK in the Ykkönen until 2015, when he joined Veikkausliiga side RoPS.

AIK

In July 2017, Taylor was transferred to AIK for €100,000. ^[5]

Tromsø (loan)

He joined Tromsø on loan for the 2018 season, and then permanently for the 2019 season.

Brann

On 20 January 2020, Taylor penned a three-year deal with Brann, ^[6] which saw Ruben Yttergård Jenssen go the other way.

Inter Miami

Taylor playing for Inter Miami

On 11 February 2022, Taylor moved to Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise 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]

On 18 July 2024, in a match against Toronto FC, both Taylor and his teammate Drake Callender made their 100th appearance for Inter Miami in all competitions combined, becoming the first players in the franchise's history to reach the milestone. ^{[12] [13]} On 26 July, Taylor extended his deal until the end of 2026 with a one-year option. ^{[14] [15]}

International career

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. ^[16]

On 11 October 2020, Taylor scored his first goal in a 2–0 UEFA Nations League victory over Bulgaria. ^[17]

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. ^[18]

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. ^{[19] [20]}

Personal life

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. ^[21]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 3 August 2024

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup [lower-alpha 1]		League cup [lower-alpha 2]		Continental		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
JJK	2011 [22]	Veikkausliiga	0	0	0	0	1	0	—		―		1	0
Huima (loan)	2011 [16]	Kolmonen	1	0	0	0	―		―		—		1	0
Lincoln City	2012–13 [22]	Conference Premier	0	0	0	0	―		—		0	0	0	0
Boston Town (loan)	2012–13 [16]	United Counties League	1	0	―		―		―		—		1	0
JJK	2013 [22]	Veikkausliiga	11	1	1	0	0	0	―		―		12	1
	2014 [22]	Ykkönen	18	3	1	0	0	0	―		―		19	3
	2015 [22]	Ykkönen	21	7	0	0	0	0	―		―		21	7
	Total		50	11	2	0	1	0	―		―		53	11
RoPS	2016 [22]	Veikkausliiga	31	11	2	1	5	0	4 [lower-alpha 3]	1	―		42	13
	2017 [22]	Veikkausliiga	10	3	4	3	0	0	―		―		14	6
	Total		41	14	6	4	5	0	4	1	―		56	19
AIK	2017 [22]	Allsvenskan	4	0	2	0	―		0	0	―		6	0
Tromsø (loan)	2018 [22]	Eliteserien	17	2	3	0	―		―		―		20	2
Tromsø	2018 [22]	Eliteserien	10	2	―		―		―		―		10	2
	2019 [22]	Eliteserien	28	4	3	0	―		―		―		31	4
	Total		55	8	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	61	8
Brann	2020 [22]	Eliteserien	30	6	—		―		―		―		30	6
	2021 [22]	Eliteserien	27	6	2	2	―		―		1 [lower-alpha 4]	0	30	8
	Total		57	12	2	2	―		―		1	0	60	14
Inter Miami	2022 [22]	MLS	33	3	3	0	―		―		1 [lower-alpha 5]	0	37	3
	2023 [22]	MLS	27	4	6	0	―		―		7 [lower-alpha 6]	4	40	8
	2024 [22]	MLS	22	4	―		―		2 [lower-alpha 7]	1	2 [lower-alpha 6]	0	26	5
	Total		82	11	9	0	―		2	1	10	4	103	16
Career total			291	56	24	6	6	0	6	2	10	4	340	68

1. Includes Finnish Cup, Svenska Cupen, Norwegian Cup, U.S. Open Cup
2. Includes Finnish League Cup
3. Appearances in UEFA Europa League
4. Appearance in Eliteserien relegation play-offs
5. Appearance in MLS Cup Playoffs
6. Appearances in Leagues Cup
7. Appearances in CONCACAF Champions Cup

International

As of match played 17 November 2023 ^{[23] [24]}

Appearances and goals by national team and year

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. ^{[23] [24]}

List of international goals scored by Robert Taylor

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

Inter Miami

• Leagues Cup: 2023 ^[25]

References

1. "altomfotball.no: Robert Taylor – Tromsø – Eliteserien, 2018". TV 2. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
2. 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.
3. "Scholars Out For Experience – News – Lincoln City". www.redimps.co.uk. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
4. Kaarkoski, Tuomas (6 May 2013). "Robert Taylor tekee paluun JJK:hon". KSML.fi – Keskisuomalainen (in Finnish). Retrieved 3 August 2019.
5. "BRIEF-AIK Fotboll signs on Robert Taylor from finnish fotball club..." Reuters. 4 July 2017. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
6. "Robert Taylor har signert for Brann".
7. "Inter Miami CF Signs Finnish International Attacker Robert Taylor | Inter Miami CF".
8. "Robert Taylor's game elevated since Lionel Messi joined". Miami Herald .
9. 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.
10. Boehm, Charles (25 August 2023). "Robert Taylor: "Finnish Di María" enters Miami spotlight alongside Messi". MLSsoccer.com. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
11. Inter Miami CF Announces 2023 Roster Decisions, intermiamicf.com, 25 October 2023
12. JJK-kasvatti Robert Taylor saavutti komean rajapyykin, Keskisuomalainen, 18 July 2024
13. 'A very special night' - David Beckham congratulates Robert Taylor and Drake Callender as Inter Miami duo become first players to reach 100 appearances in Herons history, goal.com, 18 July 2024
14. Inter Miami CF Signs Robert Taylor to Contract Extension, intermiamicf.com, 26 July 2024
15. Robert Taylorille uusi sopimus! Huuhkajat-tähti avaa nyt kevään maajoukkuekohua: "Se harmitti", mtvuutiset.fi, MTV Oy, 26 July 2024
16. "Robert Taylor". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
17. Hirvonen, Hinni (11 October 2020). "Huuhkajat kukisti kotiyleisön edessä Bulgarian – Robert Taylorille maajoukkueuran avausmaali". Yle (in Finnish). Retrieved 12 October 2020.
18. "TÄSSÄ ON HUUHKAJIEN EM-KISAJOUKKUE!". Palloliitto. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
19. Näin Robert Taylor perustelee kuohuttanutta ratkaisuaan: ”Olisi ollut itsekästä”, Yle, 18 March 2024
20. Robert Taylorin vetäytymisestä lisätietoa – Huuhkajien tiedotuspäällikkö avaa kohupäätöksen taustoja, Yle, 18 March 2024
21. "Paul Taylor Komeettoihin | Jyväskylän Komeetat Ry". www.komeetat.fi. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
22. Robert Taylor at Soccerway. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
23. "Robert Taylor". Football Association of Finland (in Finnish). Retrieved 16 June 2021.
24. "Robert Taylor". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
25. Sigal, Jonathan (20 August 2023). "Lionel Messi & Inter Miami are Leagues Cup champions!". MLS Soccer. Retrieved 21 August 2023.

External links

• Robert Taylor at the Brann website (in Norwegian)