Robert Thomas Taylor (born 21 October 1994) is a Finnish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder and wing-back for Major League Soccer side LA Galaxy 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.
Club career Boston Town (loan) Taylor was loaned out to Boston Town of the United Counties League in 2013, where he made one appearance.
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.
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.
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, which saw Ruben Yttergård Jenssen go the other way.
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, for a transfer fee of $500,000. 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.
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. He scored five goals and had three assists in seven matches as the club won their first trophy. On 25 October 2023, Inter Miami announced they had exercised their option to keep Taylor in Miami until the end of 2024.Inter Miami CF Announces 2023 Roster Decisions, intermiamicf.com, 25 October 2023
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.JJK-kasvatti Robert Taylor saavutti komean rajapyykin, Keskisuomalainen, 18 July 2024'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 On 26 July, Taylor extended his deal until the end of 2026 with a one-year option.Inter Miami CF Signs Robert Taylor to Contract Extension, intermiamicf.com, 26 July 2024Robert Taylorille uusi sopimus! Huuhkajat-tähti avaa nyt kevään maajoukkuekohua: "Se harmitti", mtvuutiset.fi, MTV Oy, 26 July 2024
Austin FC On April 23, 2025, Taylor was acquired by MLS franchise Austin FC for $700,000 in GAM plus conditional $50,000 GAM extra.Austin FC Acquires Robert Taylor in Trade with Inter Miami CF, austinfc.com, 24 April 2025
LA Galaxy On July 15, 2026, Taylor signed with the LA Galaxy as a free agent for the rest of the 2026 season with an option to extend his contract until December 31, 2027.
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.
On 11 October 2020, Taylor scored his first goal in a 2–0 UEFA Nations League victory over Bulgaria.
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.
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.Näin Robert Taylor perustelee kuohuttanutta ratkaisuaan: "Olisi ollut itsekästä", Yle, 18 March 2024Robert Taylorin vetäytymisestä lisätietoa – Huuhkajien tiedotuspäällikkö avaa kohupäätöksen taustoja, Yle, 18 March 2024
Personal life Taylor was born in Kuopio to a Finnish mother and an English father. His father Paul is an English former footballer who played for KuPS in the 1990s. Paul resides in Jyväskylä and currently coaches youth teams in a local club Jyväskylän Komeetat.Tämä mies on Lionel Messiä merkittävämpi Robert Taylorin uralla – Paul-isä kertoo poikansa uran koskettavimmasta hetkestä, Yle, 28 July 2023
Career statistics Club
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupLeague cupContinentalOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsJJK2011Veikkausliiga000010—―10Huima (loan)2011Kolmonen1000――—10Lincoln City2012–13Conference Premier0000―—1010Boston Town (loan)2012–13United Counties League10―――—10JJK2013Veikkausliiga1111000――1212014Ykkönen1831000――1932015Ykkönen2170000――217Total50112010――5311RoPS2016Veikkausliiga3111215041―42132017Veikkausliiga1034300――146Total4114645041―5619AIK2017Allsvenskan4020―00―60Tromsø (loan)2018Eliteserien17230―――202Tromsø2018Eliteserien102――――1022019Eliteserien28430―――314Tromsø total55860―――618Brann2020Eliteserien306—―――3062021Eliteserien27622――10308Total571222――106014Inter Miami2022MLS33330――103732023MLS27460――744082024MLS275――21303262025MLS41――300071Total911390―5111411618Austin FC2025MLS17120――202112026MLS2010―――30Total19130――20241LA Galaxy2026MLS111―――00111Career total33060276609213438672
International
+ Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsFinland201720201850201930202071202170202230202371Total342
As of match played 17 October 2023. Finland score listed first, score column indicates score after each Taylor goal.
+ List of international goals scored by Robert TaylorNo.DateVenueCapOpponentScoreResultCompetition111 October 2020Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland131–02–02020–21 UEFA Nations League B217 October 2023Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland321–01–2UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying
Honours Inter Miami Supporters' Shield: 2024 Leagues Cup: 2023 U.S. Open Cup runner-up: 2023
Austin FC U.S. Open Cup runner-up: 2025
References
External links Robert Taylor at the Brann website