Maik Taylor
| Full Name: | Maik Stefan Taylor |
| Date of Birth: | 04-Sep-1971 |
| Place of Birth: | Hildesheim, Germany |
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Current Team: | Birmingham City |
| Number: | 1 |
Maik Taylor began his career at Petersfield Town before moving to Farnborough Town, Barnet and Southampton. He was bought by Fulham in 1997 from Southampton at a cost of £700,000. Fulham's manager Kevin Keegan rated him as the "best taker of a cross in Britain" and he proved to be a quality signing for the Cottagers, helping them to the Second Division title. The First Division Championship followed the year after and thus promotion to the Premiership.
Taylor signed for Birmingham City in August 2003 originally on a year long loan deal with the possibility of permanent contract. After a tremendous start to his Blues career Steve Bruce decided to make the contract permanent when the January transfer window opened; Maik continued his impressive form and was rewarded by being nominated as the goalkeeper for the Premiership team of the season 2003-04.
Taylor is renowned for his shot stopping and great aerial ability. The 6 ft 4 in stopper was voted Premiership fans' goalkeeper of the season in Birmingham City's 2003-04 campaign.
Maik Taylor lost his number 1 jersey to Colin Doyle on March 1, 2007. He is a regular in the Northern Ireland national team, and has over 50 caps for the team. His debut was against Germany in 1999, where Northern Ireland lost 0-3.