The player released by Nottingham Forest in 2009 now strikes up an immediate bond with Messi

Robert Taylor was released by Nottingham Forest in 2009 and now he’s rubbing shoulders with Lionel Messi in the MLS. On Wednesday the pair assisted each other as the Argentine icon made his Inter Miami debut.

It was a memorable opening night in the MLS for Messi. The game’s greatest-ever scored two goals, with Taylor bagging the other two during a comprehensive 4-0 victory.

Furthermore, the pair seemed to strike up a brilliant partnership with each other. Taylor claimed an assist for Messi, with the World Cup winner returning the favor during the clash.

Taylor was only very young when he was at Forest. He spent a single season at the club but failed to earn an extension to his apprenticeship after the 2008/09 campaign.

Since then he’s been striving to make a career for himself. In fairness, he’s not done a bad job of things and plays international football for Finland.

After leaving Lincoln, Taylor played for a number of clubs in Norway, Sweden, and Finland before finally heading to Inter Miami in February 2022.

His form this season has been pretty steady. He typically operates on the left flank and has 10 goal contributions during the current campaign; five goals and five assists.

His two goals in the Wednesday thumping of Atlanta saw him continue his fine form. With Messi in the team alongside him, he will hope to kick on even further.

Released by Forest in 2009, Taylor now rubbing shoulders with Messi

It must be a real confidence boost for the Inter Miami players to now have Messi in the dressing room. The forward has achieved everything in the game and some believe he’s gone to the MLS too soon.

Taylor never really made the grade at Forest. He spent just a year in the club’s academy but ultimately not every single player can make the breakthrough on Trentside.

The forward has earned his stripes though and made a decent career out of professional football. He’s also played 29 times for Finland and scored once.

It’s hard to say that Forest missed a trick with this one, given that his career has never really scaled amazing highs in Europe.

Now, Taylor will be fully focused on becoming Messi’s wingman. He’s made a good start alongside the Argentine and it will be interesting to see if the pair continue to flourish together.