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Gordon Alexander Taylor OBE is an English former professional footballer who played as a winger. He has been chief executive of the English footballers' trades union, the Professional Footballers' Association since 1981. He is reputed to be the highest paid union official in the world.
Taylor was born in Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire. He played over 250 games for Bolton Wanderers and scored more than 50 goals before being transferred to Birmingham City in 1970. He joined Blackburn Rovers in 1976 and spent the 1977 close season playing in the North American Soccer League for the Vancouver Whitecaps. He returned to play for Blackburn and finally Bury before retiring in 1980 to work full-time for the PFA.
Taylor has a degree in economics and is a member of FIFA's football committee. He is an alumnus of Manchester Metropolitan University.
He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2008 New Year Honours.
His mobile phone messages were allegedly hacked by a private investigator employed by the News of the World newspaper. The Guardian reported that News International paid Taylor ₤700,000 in legal costs and damages in exchange for a confidentiality agreement barring him from speaking about the case.
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