Robert Taylor’s right arm (26) is completely covered in tattoos. Most of the tattoos do not mean anything special, but two of them have a very special meaning.
Two dates. The two worst in Robert’s life.
– I do not quite know. I do not really believe in that. I do not really know what I believe in, to be honest, Taylor admits.
He raises his arm and points carefully at the sky, while his gaze follows.
– But sometimes it’s nice to think that they might look down on me, and see that they are not forgotten.
– IMPORTANT PIECE: Robert Taylor is an important piece in Kåre Ingebrigtsen’s project to rebuild Brann. Photo: Vegard Wivestad Grøtt / BILDBYRÅN
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Left the homeland to follow the dream
Already as a 15-year-old, Robert Taylor left safe Väväskylä in Finland for England. His English father had given him a trial match with his old club, the traditional football club Nottingham Forest.
So 15 years old, he went to Robin Hood Land and Sherwood Forest.
The slender technician did not get a contract with the club. Shortly afterwards, another club called. The small club Lincoln at level five in England offered Taylor a two-year apprenticeship contract.
But even there, the level should prove to be brutal for the young Finn.
– I did not have a chance to be part of the first team. I was too weak and thin. To be honest, I was simply not good enough.
The first grief
After fighting at lower levels in England for two seasons, Taylor decided that the future did not lie in England. He wanted to go home to Finland.
– I ended up sitting on the bench at level eleven in England. The coach smoked during the matches and the players fought on the field. I was 18 years old and understood that enough was enough.
Acknowledging that he had given up was tough for the 18-year-old, but his first encounter with how brutal life can be was nowhere near what awaited him.
It was in the middle of the summer holidays and on TV, Germany had just gone up 5-0 against Brazil after only 29 minutes played. The Germans were on their way to the World Cup final when Taylor’s phone rang.
The first thing he heard when he picked up the phone was his little sister crying. Then came the brutal news that his best friend was dead.
– He drowned, says Taylor.
His 19-year-old best friend, Ben, had been torn away from him after a tragic swimming accident.
– It was absolutely awful. The funeral is the worst day of my life. I can not imagine anything worse.
– MARKED FOR LIFE: Robert Taylor has tattooed the date his best friend died. Photo: Tor Henning Flaatten / TV 2
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Found back to the joy of football in his home country
Back home in Finland, Taylor returned to the childhood club JJK Jyväskylä. In England, everything had gone slowly. It could take months between each time he got to train with the A-team, but in Finland everything went so fast.
Despite his last match in England being at level eleven, it only took a few months before he made his debut at Finland’s highest level. Larger clubs opened their eyes to the technical winger.
Together with agent Ville Lyytikäinen, he agreed that Santa’s hometown Rovaniemi would be a perfect next step. That should turn out to be the case. After a glorious season in northern Finland, foreign clubs began to make contact.
Together with agent Ville Lyytikäinen, Taylor had started the journey that would take him up in the football hierarchy. But the collaboration between them was to turn out to be an abrupt end.
The other grief
Will Lyytikäinen not only fought to fulfill football players’ dreams. He also fought an intense battle against his inner demons.
In 2016, Lyytikäinen could no longer fight the demons. Five days before Christmas Eve, he ended his life.
– He was having a hard time. It was absolutely awful. He helped me a lot and we were very close, says Taylor.
– – I do not quite know. I do not really believe in that. I do not really know what I believe in to be honest. Sometimes it’s nice to think that they might look down on me and see that they have not been forgotten, says Robert Taylor to TV 2. Photo: Marius Simensen / BILDBYRÅN
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The entire Finnish football family was shaken. No one was aware that the popular agent, the football expert and the former football coach was struggling.
– Did you see no sign of him at all?
– To be completely honest, I had no idea. That was the year I had my real breakthrough on the football field, but I have often thought back on that year. I remember asking myself if everything was fine with Ville, since the conversations with him became fewer. Then came the news that he had taken his life just before Christmas Eve. I was in shock, Taylor admits.
– The best day of my life
After Taylor moved back to Finland, he had lost two of his loved ones in two years. It was time to give the dream of a professional career abroad a second chance.
The Swedish big club AIK brought him to Sweden. The stay there did not go exactly as planned, but Tromsø’s Finnish coach Simo Valakari knew that the compatriot had untapped potential.
The 23-year-old took the chance. In Nordic Paris, the Finns got a turn on their careers again. Although the stay in Tromsø ended with relegation in season two, Taylor managed to establish himself on the Finnish national team.
A national team that a short time later was to perform miracles.
Finland has never participated in a championship before, and when they ended up in a group with Italy, Greece and Bosnia Herzegovina, among others, few Finns thought it would change immediately.
But the Finns did. They disproved everyone. When star player Teemu Pukki ensured that Finland beat Liechtenstein 3-0, the pitch was stormed by hundreds of supporters.
– It’s the best day of my life, says Taylor, who was in the middle of the crowd.
– HISTORICAL: Finland captain Paulus Arajuuri lets out tears as he understands what the national team has accomplished. Photo: Lehtikuva
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Bring your friends with you in what will be his proudest moment
When Finland starts the European Championship adventure against Denmark next Saturday, Robert Taylor is one of the players who will fight for the country’s honor. He is the only player from the Eliteserien who participates in this summer’s big championship.
With him in the war are Ben and Ville Lyytikäinen. A few years ago, Taylor chose to make sure they were with him for the rest of his life. In Roman numerals, he has tattooed the dates of death of his two close friends on his right arm.
– I thought it would be a great way to honor my friendships with them.
They never got to experience the journey that would take Robert Taylor all the way to a championship with Finland, but who knows? Maybe they look down on him when in one week he experiences the greatest moment of his life.
From 12 June, you can watch the European Championships on TV 2’s channels and Play! It all starts with the match between Belgium and Russia at 20.00.
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