Taye Taiwo

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Personal information
Taye Taiwo
Full name	Taye Ismail Taïwo
Date of birth	April 16, 1985 (1985-04-16) (age 23)
Place of birth	Lagos, Nigeria
Height	183 cm 81 kg
Playing position	Left Back
Club information
Current club	Marseille
Number	3
Senior clubs¹
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
2003 2003-2004 2004-	Gabros International Lobi Stars Marseille	11 (1) 37 (8) 99 (7)
National team²
2004-	Nigeria	26 (7)
¹ Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of May 30, 2008. ² National team caps and goals correct as of August 28, 2006. * Appearances (Goals)

Taye Ismail Taïwo (born April 16, 1985 in Lagos, Nigeria) is a Nigerian football defender who currently plays for Olympique de Marseille (Ligue 1). 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 2006 Young African Player of the Year.

1 National Team
2 Olympique de Marseille
3 Personal
4 References
5 External links

[edit] National Team

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.

Taiwo played in the 2008 African Cup of Nations in Ghana.

[edit] 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.