Taye Taiwo

Football player infobox
playername = Taye Taiwo


fullname = Taye Ismaila Taïwo
dateofbirth = Birth date and age|1985|4|16|mf=y
cityofbirth = Lagos
countryofbirth = Nigeria
height = height|m=1.83
currentclub = Marseille
clubnumber = 3
position = Left Back
years = 2003
2003–2004
2004–
clubs = Gabros International
Lobi Stars
Marseille
caps(goals) = 11 (1)
37 (8)
100 (7)
nationalyears = 2004–
nationalteam = Nigeria
nationalcaps(goals) = 26 (7)
pcupdate = August 09, 2008
ntupdate = August 28, 2006

Taye Ismaila Taïwo (born April 16, 1985 in Lagos, Nigeria) is a Nigerian football defender who currently plays for Olympique de Marseille. Taiwo's primary position is Left Defensive Back. He is known for his left-footed long range shots and crosses, physical strength, pace, and tackling ability.

Taiwo has a powerful left-footed shot, which was clocked at over 130 km/h (close to 82 mph) on a free kick in the 2006 Coupe de France semi-final.

Taiwo was the 2006 Young African Player of the Year.

Club career

Olympique de Marseille

Taiwo was brought in to fill the void Bixente Lizarazu had left when he had departed for Bayern Munich. Taiwo has stated a desire to play in Britain and was mentioned in transfer speculation to Glasgow Celtic and Portsmouth, among others, in January 2008.

National career

Taiwo was part of the Nigerian team during the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship. He scored two decisive goals during the competition which enabled Nigeria to reach the final (lost 2-1 against Argentina). He was designated as the third best player of the tournament behind Nigeria's John Obi Mikel and Argentina's Lionel Messi.

Taiwo played in the 2006 African Cup of Nations in Egypt, as well as the 2008 African Cup of Nations in Ghana.

Personal

His name, Taïwo, means "Pre-tasted the world". This name is usually given to the first of a set of twins [ [http://www.nigerian.name/w/index.php?title=Taiwo Meaning of Taïwo in Nigerian.name] ] .

References

External links

*http://www.om.net/en/Teams/201002/Effectif_pro/1514/TAIWO
*http://www.om.net/en/Saison/101002/Infos/34175/A_winning_return_for_Taiwo
*http://france.theoffside.com/french-football/meet-africas-best-young-star-taye-taiwo.html