The Argentine and the Finnish forward have established a strong working relationship.
When one hears the name Robert Taylor, the very last thing that comes to mind is that he is a Finnish player who was born in Kuopio, which is a rather small city situated in the eastern part of Finland.
However, this is the truth for the footballer for Inter Miami who has become Lionel Messi’s new teammate in the early matches that the Argentine has played in the Major League Soccer (MLS).
Robert Taylor scored the first goal for Cruz Azul in Lionel Messi’s debut game in the United States, which Messi watched from the bench. Taylor’s goal was scored against Cruz Azul. Then, in the final minute of play, the Argentine superstar scored the game-winning goal for Inter Miami.
In Messi’s second match, the connection between the Argentine and the Finn reached its peak. In a resounding 4-0 victory against Atlanta United, Taylor scored two goals, and Messi scored the other two. Additionally, each of them provided an assist to the other. David Beckham and Inter Miami fans couldn’t be happier with the new partnership formed on the field.
Robert Taylor hails from Finland but has had stints in England
His journey to become Messi’s attacking partner at Inter Miami has been quite peculiar. Apart from short spells in England, the Finn had never played football away from the Nordic countries until he joined Inter Miami in February of last year.
From his time as a child player until he became a youth player, Taylor belonged to the youth teams of Jyvaskylan Jalkapalloklubi (JJK).
However, the Finn also had two stints in England, playing for Nottingham Forest for a year and Lincoln for two. Of course, both of these were in the youth teams of the respective clubs.
In 2013, at the age of 19, Taylor left England to return to the club where he had grown up, JJK.
Taylor’s breakthrough in Finland and leap to Sweden
In his return to his homeland, Taylor had very successful seasons with JJK. As a result, the striker attracted the interest of Rovaniemen Palloseura, better known as RoPS, a team in the top tier of Finnish football.
At the club in the Finnish Premier Division, Robert Taylor confirmed his growth and performed at a high level. He particularly stood out in 2016, when he scored 13 goals and provided five assists throughout the season.
Impressive seasons in Norway that caught the attention of Inter Miami
After his fantastic spell at RoPS, Taylor was signed by AIK Solna, one of the prominent clubs in Allsvenskan, Sweden’s top division. However, the player barely played for the Swedish club and was soon loaned to Tromso in Norway.
After two seasons at Tromso in the Norwegian Premier Division, Robert Taylor secured an undisputed role in the plans of the club. During his two campaigns, he scored eight goals and recorded six assists.
However, Taylor’s best period was yet to come. The Finn left Tromso to sign with Brann, a Norwegian club also competing in the country’s top division, and he posted spectacular numbers that attracted Inter Miami’s interest. In two seasons, Robert Taylor scored 14 goals and provided 16 assists.
Taylor: Inter Maimi’s star before Messi’s arrival
After his fantastic four seasons in Norway, where he scored 22 goals and provided 22 assists, Taylor took the big leap to leave the Nordic countries for the first time since he was a youth player. Having played in Finland, Norway, and Sweden, he now got his chance in the MLS.
In his early seasons at Inter Miami,Taylor secured a place in the starting eleven and scored five goals while providing nine assists. Even before Messi or Sergio Busquets arrived in Miami, the Finn was already a star at the MLS club.
