Taye Ismaila Taiwo (born 16 April 1985) is a Nigerian retired professional footballer who last played as a defender for Kakkonen club SalPa.

[8] On 12 March 2005 manager Philippe Troussier called him to the first team and made his debut for Marseille, starting a match and played 61 minutes before being substituted, as the club won 2–1 against RC Lens.

[9] After the match, Foot Marseille said about Taiwo's performance: "For his debut in White, this athletic Nigerian started well with a goal ball for Luyindula and a few good interventions then seemed completely lost on the pitch never knowing how to position himself.

[20] After serving a one match suspension, Taiwo scored on his return to the starting line–up, in a 1–0 win against Heerenveen on 24 November 2005 to help Marseille qualify for the UEFA Cup knockout stage.

[21] After missing the whole January due to his international commitment, he returned to the starting line–up against Toulouse on 12 February 2006 and helped the club keep a clean sheet, in a 1–0 win.

[28] However, Taiwo was sent–off for a straight red card in the 4th minute against Young Boys in the UEFA Cup Qualification Round, as Marseille won on away goals rule following a 3–3 on aggregate.

[45] After serving a two match suspension, Taiwo returned to the starting line–up against Lorient on 3 November 2007 and was then substituted at half time as the club drew 0–0.

[49] While on international duty, Taiwo was linked a move away from the club following the new signing of Juan Krupoviesa, but he made it clear that he wanted to stay at Marseille.

[53] Two weeks later on 6 March 2008, he captained the club for the first time against Zenit Saint Petersburg in the first leg of the UEFA Cup Last 16 and set up Marseille's first goal of the game, in a 3–1 win.

[70] However, he suffered a groin injury during a 2–1 loss against Shakhtar Donetsk in the return leg of the UEFA Cup quarter–finals, resulting in the club's elimination from the tournament, and was sidelined for three weeks.

[78] It wasn't until on 30 September 2009 when Taiwo returned to the starting line–up against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League match, as the club lost 3–0.

[85] In the Coupe de la Ligue Final against Bordeaux on 27 March 2010, he started the whole game, as Marseille won 3–1 to win the tournament.

[98] After the match, he grabbed a microphone and joined fans in singing an expletive-laden chant aimed at the club's rivals PSG, narrowly escaping a ban from the LFP.

[106] Taiwo made his debut with the club on 24 September 2011 in the home league match won 1–0 against Cesena where he was eventually replaced by Luca Antonini.

[107] In December 2011, Taiwo made an interview for the French sports newspaper L'Équipe where he expressed his disappointment with his current experience at A.C. Milan, commenting on problems with Massimiliano Allegri and lack of playing time, having been placed on the substitute bench.

[4][110] On 24 January 2012, Queens Park Rangers secured the signing of Taiwo from A.C. Milan on a loan deal until the end of the season, with the option to buy for a fee of around £3.5 million.

[113] Taiwo made his debut for Queens Park Rangers, starting the whole game against Aston Villa on 1 February 2012, where he played a role, leading Stephen Warnock to score an own goal, as the club drew 2–2.

[116] This was followed up by scoring his first goal for Queens Park Rangers through a fantastic executed curling effort from a free kick 27 yards out in a 3–1 defeat against Sunderland.

[119] Having previously said that he did not want to return to AC Milan, it was announced on 31 July 2012 that Taiwo joined Ukrainian club Dynamo Kyiv on a one-year loan deal with the option of making the move permanent at the end of the season.

[121] Taiwo made his debut for Dynamo Kyiv against Kryvbas on 3 August 2012 and helped the club keep a clean sheet, in a 1–0 win.

[122] He then played in both legs against Borussia Mönchengladbach in the UEFA Champions League Play–Rounds, as the club won 4–3 on aggregate to progress to the Group stage.

[123] It wasn't until on 23 September 2012 when Taiwo scored his first goal for Dynamo Kyiv, as they lost 4–1 against rivals, Shakhtar Donetsk in the third round of the Ukrainian Cup.

[125] This lasted until Taiwo was suspended for three matches after he was involved in altercation with Cleiton Xavier during Dynamo Kyiv's 3–1 loss against Metalist Kharkiv on 20 October 2012.

[132] On 1 August 2013, Taiwo scored on his Bursaspor debut, in a 2–2 draw Vojvodina in the first leg of their Europa League third qualifying round tie.

[163] He then started in the final of the Finnish Cup against SJK and played 90 minutes before being substituted, as the club lost 7–6 in a penalty shootout following a 1–1 draw.

[177] He made his debut for the club in the opening game of the season against IFK Mariehamn and kept a clean sheet, as Rovaniemen Palloseura won 2–0.

[203] Having previously been called up to the Nigeria squad throughout the earliest 2004, Taiwo made his debut for the senior team, starting a match, in a 2–1 loss against South Africa on 17 November 2004.

[221] It wasn't until on 30 January 2010 when Taiwo returned to the starting line–up against Algeria for the third place play–offs and helped the national team side win 1–0 to earn a bronze medal.

[224] Taiwo made his World Cup debut against Argentina on 12 June 2010 and started a match before suffering an injury in the 74th minute, resulting in him being substituted.

[225] After the match, he quickly recovered from his injury following an operation and returned to the starting line–up against Greece and played 55 minutes before being substituted, as the national team lost 2–1.