Taye Taiwo facts for kids
Taiwo playing for Marseille in 2008
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Taye Ismaila Taiwo | ||
| Date of birth | 16 April 1985 | ||
| Place of birth | Lagos, Nigeria | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Left back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2003–2004 | Gabros | ||
| 2004 | Lobi Stars | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2005–2011 | Olympique de Marseille | 192 | (17) |
| 2011–2013 | Milan | 4 | (0) |
| 2012 | → Queens Park Rangers (loan) | 15 | (1) |
| 2012–2013 | → Dynamo Kyiv (loan) | 20 | (0) |
| 2013–2015 | Bursaspor | 27 | (2) |
| 2015–2016 | HJK Helsinki | 32 | (6) |
| 2017 | Lausanne | 13 | (0) |
| 2017 | AFC Eskilstuna | 9 | (0) |
| 2018–2019 | RoPS | 60 | (2) |
| 2020 | Doxa Katokopias | 0 | (0) |
| 2020–2021 | Palm Beach Stars | 1 | (0) |
| 2021–2022 | Sant'Angelo | 5 | (0) |
| 2022 | SalPa | 6 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 2004–2012 | Nigeria | 54 | (8) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 27 June 2022 | |||
Taye Ismaila Taiwo (born April 16, 1985) is a retired Nigerian professional footballer. He played as a defender, usually on the left side. Taiwo was known for his powerful shots and strong defensive play.
He started his career in Nigeria before moving to France. There, he played for Marseille for many years. He helped them win important titles like Ligue 1, the Coupe de la Ligue, and the Trophée des Champions. After his time in France, Taiwo joined Serie A club Milan. He also played for several other clubs in different countries before ending his career.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Starting in Nigeria and Moving to France
Taye Taiwo was born in Lagos, Nigeria. He began his football journey with Nigerian clubs Gabros International and Lobi Stars. In January 2005, when he was 20 years old, Taiwo moved to France. He signed a three-year contract with Marseille. The club paid about 200,000 euros for him.
Taiwo made his debut for Marseille on March 12, 2005. He played for 61 minutes in a 2-1 win against RC Lens. He quickly showed his strong athletic skills. By the end of his first season, he had played four matches.
Success with Marseille
Taiwo became a key player for Marseille. In the 2005-06 season, he scored his first goal for the club in a UEFA Intertoto Cup match. He helped Marseille win the Intertoto Cup. He also helped them reach the Coupe de France Final, though they lost. He played 50 games that season, scoring four goals.
In the 2006-07 season, Taiwo continued to be a strong defender. He scored his first league goal of the season against Bordeaux. He helped Marseille reach another Coupe de France Final, but they lost again in a penalty shootout. He played 47 matches and scored four goals that season.
For the 2007-08 season, Taiwo made his UEFA Champions League debut. He scored his first Champions League goal against Beşiktaş. He also scored against rivals Paris Saint-Germain. Taiwo was recognized for his great play and was named to the Ligue 1 Team of the Year. He played 40 games and scored five goals.
In the 2008-09 season, Taiwo played his 100th game for Marseille. He continued to be a regular starter. He scored his first goal of the season in November 2008. He was also named to the Ligue 1 Team of the Year for the second time. He played 52 matches and scored four goals.
The 2009-10 season was very successful for Marseille. Taiwo helped the team win the Coupe de la Ligue Final. He also played a big part as Marseille won the Ligue 1 title for the first time in 18 years. He scored three goals in 37 appearances that season.
In his final season with Marseille, 2010-11, Taiwo helped the club win the Trophée des Champions. He also scored the winning goal in the Coupe de la Ligue Final against Montpellier. This made him the "Player of the Match." He played 41 games and scored five goals. He was named to the Ligue 1 Team of the Year for a third time. After this season, Taiwo decided to leave Marseille for a new challenge.
Time with Milan and Loan Spells
In May 2011, Taiwo joined Italian club Milan. He made his debut for Milan in September 2011. However, he did not get much playing time there. He only made eight appearances for the club.
In January 2012, Taiwo moved to English club Queens Park Rangers (QPR) on loan. He quickly became a regular starter for QPR. He scored his first goal for the club with a fantastic free kick against Sunderland. He helped QPR stay in the Premier League. He played 15 matches and scored one goal for QPR.
In July 2012, Taiwo went on another loan, this time to Ukrainian club Dynamo Kyiv. He made his debut in August 2012. He helped the team qualify for the Champions League group stage. He scored his first goal for Dynamo Kyiv in a cup match. He played 31 matches and scored one goal during his loan spell.
Playing in Turkey and Finland
In July 2013, Taiwo signed a three-year deal with Turkish club Bursaspor. He scored on his debut in a UEFA Europa League qualifying match. He quickly became a regular player for Bursaspor. He scored his first league goal in November 2013. He played 37 matches and scored three goals in his first season. However, in his second season, he did not play any matches. His contract with Bursaspor ended in April 2015.
In August 2015, Taiwo joined Finnish club HJK Helsinki. He made his debut the next day. He quickly became a key player for HJK. In 2016, he had a great season, scoring many goals from his left-back position. He became a fan favorite. He played 34 matches and scored nine goals that season. He also helped HJK reach the Finnish Cup final.
Later Career Clubs
After HJK, Taiwo played for several other clubs. In 2017, he joined Lausanne in Switzerland and then AFC Eskilstuna in Sweden. He played nine matches for AFC Eskilstuna.
In March 2018, Taiwo signed with RoPS in Finland. He quickly became a regular starter and even captained the team. He played 60 matches and scored two goals over two seasons.
He later had short spells with Doxa Katokopias in Cyprus, Palm Beach Stars in the USA, and Sant'Angelo in Italy. His last club was SalPa in Finland, where he played in 2022 before retiring.
International Career
Youth Team Success
In May 2005, Taiwo was part of the Nigeria U20 squad for the FIFA World Youth Championship. He helped his team reach the final of the tournament. He scored two goals during the competition. Nigeria U20 lost 2-1 to Argentina U20 in the final. Taiwo was recognized as the third-best player in the tournament.
Playing for the Senior National Team
Taiwo made his debut for the senior Nigeria team in November 2004.
In January 2006, he was called up for the African Cup of Nations. He scored Nigeria's first goal of the tournament against Ghana. He helped Nigeria finish third in the competition, winning a bronze medal.
He continued to play an important role for Nigeria. He scored goals in qualifying matches for the African Cup of Nations. He also helped Nigeria qualify for the FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
Taiwo played in the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, where Nigeria won another bronze medal. He also played in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He played 53 games for Nigeria and scored 5 goals between 2004 and 2012.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Continental | Other1 | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Marseille | 2004–05 | Ligue 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | |
| 2005–06 | Ligue 1 | 30 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 1 | — | 41 | 2 | ||
| 2006–07 | Ligue 1 | 38 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 41 | 4 | ||
| 2007–08 | Ligue 1 | 28 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 2 | — | 40 | 5 | ||
| 2008–09 | Ligue 1 | 35 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 0 | — | 52 | 4 | ||
| 2009–10 | Ligue 1 | 27 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | — | 37 | 3 | ||
| 2010–11 | Ligue 1 | 30 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 41 | 5 | |
| Total | 192 | 17 | 7 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 48 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 256 | 23 | ||
| Milan | 2011–12 | Serie A | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | — | 8 | 0 | ||
| 2012–13 | Serie A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | — | 8 | 0 | ||||
| Queens Park Rangers (loan) | 2011–12 | Premier League | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 15 | 1 | ||
| Dynamo Kyiv (loan) | 2012–13 | Ukrainian Premier League | 20 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 10 | 0 | — | 31 | 1 | ||
| Bursaspor | 2013–14 | Süper Lig | 27 | 2 | 8 | 0 | — | 2 | 1 | — | 37 | 3 | ||
| 2014–15 | Süper Lig | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 27 | 2 | 8 | 0 | — | 2 | 1 | — | 37 | 3 | ||||
| HJK | 2015 | Veikkausliiga | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 11 | 0 | |
| 2016 | Veikkausliiga | 21 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 29 | 8 | ||
| Total | 32 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 40 | 8 | |||
| Lausanne-Sport | 2016–17 | Swiss Super League | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 13 | 0 | |||
| AFC Eskilstuna | 2017 | Allsvenskan | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 9 | 0 | |||
| RoPS | 2018 | Veikkausliiga | 33 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 33 | 1 | |||
| 2019 | Veikkausliiga | 27 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 31 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 60 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 64 | 2 | ||||
| Career total | 372 | 28 | 21 | 2 | 11 | 3 | 68 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 473 | 38 | ||
- 1 Includes Trophée des champions
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nigeria | 2004 | 1 | 0 |
| 2005 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2006 | 8 | 1 | |
| 2007 | 9 | 3 | |
| 2008 | 12 | 0 | |
| 2009 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2010 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2011 | 9 | 1 | |
| 2012 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 53 | 5 |
International goals
| No | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 23 January 2006 | Port Said Stadium, Port Said, Egypt |  Ghana |
1–0 | 1–0 | 2006 Africa Cup of Nations | |
| 2. | 6 February 2007 | Griffin Park, London, England | Ghana |
1–3 | 1–4 | Friendly | |
| 3. | 17 June 2007 | Stade Général Seyni Kountché, Niamey, Niger |  Niger |
2–1 | 3–1 | 2008 Africa Cup of Nations qualification | |
| 4. | 20 November 2007 | Letzigrund, Zürich, Switzerland |  Switzerland |
1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly | |
| 5. | 9 February 2011 | Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos, Nigeria |  Sierra Leone |
1–0 | 2–1 | Friendly |
Personal Life
Taye Taiwo grew up with two sisters and three brothers. He is married to his wife, Nimota. They have two children together. Taiwo is a Muslim. When he first moved to France, he learned to speak French very well.
Honours
Marseille
- Ligue 1: 2009–10
- Coupe de la Ligue: 2009–10, 2010–11
- Trophée des Champions: 2010
- UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2005
Nigeria
- Africa Cup of Nations third place: 2006
Individual
- CAF Most Promising Talent of the Year: 2006
- CAF Team of the Year: 2006, 2008, 2010, 2011
- Ligue 1 Team of the Year: 2007–08, 2008–09, 2010–11
- Veikkausliiga Player of the Month: May 2017,
- Veikkausliiga Team of the Year: 2016, 2018
See also
In Spanish: Taye Taiwo para niños
