Finnish winger Robert Taylor signs two-year contract extension with Inter Miami

When Robert Taylor showed up at Inter Miami from Finland two and a half years ago, he was a wiry, speedy, fancy-footed winger who didn’t speak a word of Spanish.

By last summer, he had adjusted to the heat and humidity, bulked up in the weight room, adapted to the physicality of MLS and was linking up with Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba to create scoring chances. He also had become adept at deciphering instructions from Argentine coach Tata Martino and his Spanish-speaking staff.

Taylor is delighted that he remains in the club’s plans for the next few years. Inter Miami on Friday announced it had signed the 29-year-old to a contract extension through 2026 with an option for 2027.

Taylor had been hoping to stay with Inter Miami after his contract expired at the end of this year, and he got his wish. He is so dedicated to the club that he declined a recent invitation to play for Finland’s national team because felt Inter Miami needed him more at that time.

“I’ve matured a lot as a player and a person,” Taylor told the Miami Herald earlier this week. “It’s been, obviously, drastic cultural differences when you’re moving to the U.S. compared to Scandinavia. So, I’ve had to adjust really fast. As a player, the league is different, so you have to adjust to that, as well, but I love the culture and the football here, so I’m real happy to stay.”

Taylor has made 101 appearances for Inter Miami, joining goalkeeper Drake Callender as the only two players to reach the 100-game milestone with the club. He has scored 16 goals and has 19 assists, second most assists in club history behind Messi. He was instrumental in Miami’s Leagues Cup title run last summer, scoring four goals with five assists through seven games.

He says he is a stronger and more effective winger now than he was when he arrived.

“To put it bluntly, I had to hit the gym more here than I used to in Scandinavia,” he said. “I’ve learned to use my body better, shield the ball better, go into duels using my body in better ways because I had to. When I started in MLS, the first couple of months I was getting a little bullied around, so I had to really adjust quickly. Now, I feel stronger and comfortable getting hit, getting the ball facing the opponent’s goal with a defender on my back.”

Although he doesn’t speak Spanish, Taylor blends in well with his predominantly Hispanic teammates and coaches. He relies on bilingual players to translate in both directions.

“I’m learning Spanish really slowly; I’m trying, but most of the guys look at me like, `What is this idiot saying?’ when I try to speak to them in Spanish,” Taylor joked.

He is relieved to have the contract negotiations behind him.

“When you don’t have a contract, if there was no dialogue between me and the club that would give you some thoughts in your head and that can affect your game,” he said. “Me, Tata and the club have been in really good dialogue the past few weeks, and that’s given me some confidence. Once we started negotiating, we got to an agreement really fast.

“Tata has a really good way of dealing with people, and that’s one of the biggest reasons I want to stay here because of the coaching staff. They make you feel important.”

Although he is not always in the starting lineup, Taylor said that doesn’t get him down.

“Being on the bench on this team doesn’t affect me in negative ways because you look at the squad that’s starting and you just hold your hands up and say, `Look, those are all amazing players on the field.’”, he said. “Diego Gomez is playing in my position now, left wing, and he’s playing unbelievable football. There’s no point in me sitting on the bench and being mad or complaining because he deserves the spot 100 percent. All I can do is when he or someone else comes off and I’m going on, try to do as much as they do and that’s how you earn a starting spot.”