Lionel Messi's new partner in crime sums up his incredible Inter Miami impact
When Lionel Messi was joined at Inter Miami by former Barcelona team-mates Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, everyone expected that the trio would roll back the years with their chemistry.
After coming off the bench and scoring a stunning 94th minute free-kick to win against Cruz Azul on his debut, Messi made his first start for Miami on Tuesday. It took just eight minutes for Messi to get on the scoresheet again, and it was Busquets that found him with a beautiful ball over the top.
But Messi may have found a new team-mate to bounce off as Robert Taylor has matched him since the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner first made the squad. Messi and Taylor both scored two goals in Tuesday's 4-0 win against Atlanta United, and the pair also grabbed an assist each.
Taylor also scored against Cruz Azul, opening the scoring before Messi became the hero after the Mexican side equalised. Despite only sharing the training field four times, Taylor and Messi look like being the unlikely partnership no one expected in MLS.
Messi has the right-wing position nailed down in Miami for as long as he wants it, but Taylor is proving quite the threat on the opposite flank now that the Argentine has arrived. Taylor scored two stunning goals from the left-wing, finding both the top and bottom corner of the net in either half.
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It was Messi that assisted his second after starting a counter-attack early on in the second half, as he returned the favour after the Argentine was found by Taylor unmarked in the area 31 minutes earlier. Taylor can't quite believe his luck as he now gets to play with Messi, and he opened up about just how much of an impact the World Cup winner has made after Tuesday's game.
"I think we found spaces in behind pretty well. Good balance whenever Leo has the ball," Taylor said. "Creates a lot of space for everyone else. I think everyone sees what he does. He can do everything.
Robert Taylor has become Lionel Messi's new partner in crime at Inter Miami (Apple TV)"Makes the right decision 100 percent of the time. Most of the time he finds a teammate 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."
Taylor has had quite the opposite career to Messi, as he almost considered retiring from the game after struggling as a youngster in England. After unsuccessful spells with Barnet, Nottingham Forest and Lincoln, he found himself playing for teams who are now currently in the 11th tier of English football.
"If anyone had told me a few years ago that, sitting on the bench for Lincoln Moorlands, that I’m going to play with (Sergio) Busquets and Messi I would have laughed in their face," Taylor said Messi's debut on Friday. I was sitting on the bench, I wasn’t able to get any minutes, the coach told me I’m not strong enough, basically not good enough.
"It tested me when I was younger. I was calling my parents back home in Finland and telling them that I wanted to look for something else, other options." Taylor has now found his feet at the age of 28, and ended up playing with perhaps the greatest player to ever live.
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