Matthew Taylor is a professional football player, born on November 27, 1981 in Oxford, England. He lives with his wife and 16 month old daughter in Wantage, Oxfordshire. In the football field and to his close ones, he is known by his nickname “Matty”.
In 2002, Matthew Taylor made his international debut for the England Under-21 team in a game against Slovakia. He has capped three times for his country since then.
Matthew Taylor grew up watching football and was a big fan of Tottenham. He was brought in to the sport when he was in school. He was a member of the John Mason School team that lifted the Vale of the White Horse Schools Cup in 1995, and was also part of the team that reached the final of the Oxfordshire County Schools Cup that year. As a youngster, he played for Quarry, based in Headington. This team which was managed by his father, won the Oxford Boys League on several occasions.
Matthew Taylor began his football career with brief stints with clubs like Oxford United and Abingdon United. In 1999 he moved to Luton Town Football Club as a trainee and won the Young Player of the Year award in his first season with the club. He was not only part of the team that finished as Third Division runners-up in 2002 but was also chosen as the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) Player of the Year. In the four years that he spent there, he played in a total of 146 games and scored 17 goals to his credit.
In 2002, due to his impressive performance, Matthew Taylor got offers from various premiership clubs and decided to sign up with Portsmouth. He was a member of the squad that emerged victorious as the First Division champions in 2003.
During his stint at the club Matthew Taylor played a total of 175 games for them and scored 25 goals. Bolton Wanders signed Matthew Taylor on January 2008, for an undisclosed fee, since then he has been playing for them.
He is patron of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
