The Finland international was relatively unknown before the Argentine's arrival, but in the weeks since, he hasn't stopped scoring
Throughout his illustrious career, Lionel Messi has had some iconic partners in crime. Ronaldinho was his mentor, the player that introduced him to the world. Xavi and Andres Iniesta were his table-setters, while Luis Suarez and Neymar helped him form arguably the best attack this sport has ever seen. And we couldn't go on without mentioning Rodrigo de Paul, his famous bodyguard that helped him carry Argentina to a World Cup trophy.
However, none of those famous sidekicks are quite like Robert Taylor. You see, Taylor is Messi's new partner in crime at Inter Miami, and it's safe to say that he's the most unlikely one yet.
Taylor didn't come into Messi's life with an elite pedigree or with a multi-million dollar transfer fee attached to his name. No, around a decade ago he was playing in the 10th tier of English soccer. That's a long way from Camp Nou.
Now, all these years later, he's Messi's new go-to team-mate. The Finland star has four goals and four assists in his last five games, making him the biggest beneficiary of the Argentine's arrival in the Miami team. The 28-year-old star had been an unfamiliar face for the bulk of his career, but now, with a helping hand from Messi, he's emerging as a star.
To get an idea of how much Taylor's life has changed, just look at his Instagram. His photo commemorating I his arrival at Inter Miami received just over 2,000 likes. The photo commemorating his first link-up with Messi? Well, that has over 200,000.
But who is Taylor and why does he fit so well with Messi? GOAL takes a look…
GettyAn unbelievable journey
If you consider where Taylor finds himself today, it's hard to imagine where he was just a few short years ago. Born in Finland to an English father, Paul, who was playing professionally overseas, Taylor spent several years with clubs in his father's homeland, notably at Nottingham Forest, Lincoln City and Barnet, with the latter's relegation seeing his hopes of a professional contract dashed. He also spent time with the likes of Boston Town and Lincoln Moorlands Railway, clubs in the lower reaches of the English pyramid.
“If someone told me a few years ago when I sitting on the bench for Lincoln Moorlands that I’m going to play with [Sergio] Busquets and Messi I would have just laughed in their face,” Taylor said. “I was sitting on the bench, I wasn’t able to get any minutes in non-league and the coach told me I’m not strong enough or basically good enough. I was just sitting on the bench watching. It tested me when I was younger. I was calling my parents back home in Finland and saying maybe I want to look for something, other options.”
In 2013, he returned to Finland with JJK before bouncing around Scandinavia with stints at AIK in Sweden as well as Tromso and Brann in Norway. Then, in 2022, Taylor arrived at Inter Miami on a two-year deal. At the time, he'd already made his mark for Finland, playing 24 times for his country up to that point, but it's far to say his arrival wasn't met with the fanfare that would come one summer later when Messi would arrive.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesBefore and after Messi
It's not just Taylor's path to Miami that make his recent surge with Messi so unbelievable, but also what we'd seen from him in the season-and-a-half before Messi joined.
In his debut season, Taylor scored three goals and provided three assists for Miami, starting 26 of his 33 appearances under head coach Phil Neville. And then this season, he contributed to six total goals in 19 MLS games before Messi's arrival, starting 10 games in that span.
It isn't just Taylor who has seen his fortunes change since Messi's arrival, but the club as a whole. Messi, of course, has helped Inter Miami dominate in the Leagues Cup, with MLS on a month-long break for the newly-formed tournament. As that tournament kicked-off, Miami found themselves last in MLS with little hope of making the playoffs.
Now, though, they'll have reason to believe. Not just because of Messi, although he's a huge factor, of course. Not just because of Sergio Busquets or Jordi Alba, both of whom have added much-needed quality to a team that was lacking it. And not just because of the other string of new signings brought in by Gerardo 'Tata' Martino to raise the level.
Taylor himself is now a key figure for the club. He may be a familiar face to Inter Miami, but he's now becoming a star with Messi's help.
Inter MiamiWhy it works
Taylor's game hasn't magically changed over the last month. The 28-year-old winger hasn't learned some life-altering lesson or developed some crazy new skill that has altered the direction of his career.
No, the attributes that have been on display over the last few weeks were always there, but with Messi now involved, Taylor has someone next to him that can put those attributes to good use. “[Messi] is the best player in the world,” Taylor told the . "I’ve never played with the best player in the world. That’s what it is. That’s the difference.”
One thing is clear about Taylor's game from the moment you watch him: he runs. The effort is always there. The second Miami win the ball, Taylor gets on his horse and runs towards a position that could eventually be dangerous.
And Messi, for his part, is perhaps the best ever at creating danger. As defenses collapse on Messi, Taylor frequently finds himself in position to make things happen and, so far, he's done just that.
"[Messi] creates a lot of space for everyone else," he said. "I think everyone sees what he does. He can do everything. He makes the right decision 100 percent of the time. Most of the time he finds a team-mate in space. He's the best player in the world, this is what he does. It's a dream come true to play with him."
That's not to say that Taylor doesn't have some skill to him, because he certainly does. Look at his goal against Cruz Azul, a fantastic curling finish that left Messi, at that point on the bench awaiting his debut, smiling from ear to ear.
You could also look at his ridiculous finish against Atlanta United: a thumping near-post missile after another Argentine, teenager Benjamin Cremaschi, had provided the assist.
But there's no doubt that Taylor's most notable moments have come alongside Messi. He teed the Argentine up for a goal in that win over Atlanta before Messi himself returned the favor on the counter later that night.
Taylor then set up Messi for the opener against Orlando City in the last 16 and scored Miami's second in the next round: a 4-0 shellacking of Charlotte FC.
Many of Taylor's best sequences have come as a result of him being in the right place at the right time, with Messi being the player to find him in those moments. That said, Taylor has ensured he make the best use of Messi's magic, at least so far.
Getty ImagesRaised level all around
Messi isn't the only one to have raised the level, though. All of Inter Miami's players, new and old, are stepping up in a big way. From youngster Cremaschi to U.S. men's national team veteran DeAndre Yedlin, the Herons have been energized by Messi's arrival. And then there's the likes of Busquets and Alba, who themselves have helped lift this team in other areas of the field. It was Alba that set up Messi for the opener against FC Dallas, while Busquets has been an incredible presence in the center of the field.
"It’s amazing," Taylor said. "[Messi]" has just come in and brought a lot of energy to the team. His play means he makes the right decisions all of the time in training and in the games which is why it’s so good. "Busquets brings a lot of confidence. You feel when he gives you the ball, it gives you time because he knows when to pass the ball, when to keep the ball and it makes life easier for everyone around him."