Robin Bairner

Robin Bairner is an eminent digital football journalist who has been writing about the sport for major global publishers since 2006, specialising in Ligue 1 and Scottish football. He has been chief editor of the FootballTransfers global edition since its launch in 2020. Previously Bairner had been a key member of the editorial team which helped Goal.com become the world’s biggest football website. He covered multiple major competitions as a correspondent for Goal including the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, where he had the opportunity to work in Fortaleza. Among his highlights of the competition was Brazil’s quarter-final victory over Colombia.

Two years later, Robin was heavily involved at Euro 2016 as he reported on France’s run to the final, while at Russia 2018 he was Goal’s Ekaterinburg correspondent. These roles not only allowed him to develop a written profile, but also provided the opportunity to work on camera.

Bairner’s highly successful spell with Goal saw him take on a number of different roles, starting on the news desk before graduating the sub-editor and ultimately site manager.

Writing about football has always been a passion and Robin has produced notable features on a freelance basis for highly creditable publications such as The Blizzard and When Saturday Comes. Perhaps his most notable contribution was on Jean-Pierre Adams, a French footballer who had fallen into a coma and who had been tragically forgotten by the world at large, despite being a trailblazer as a black player in the France national team. It was a piece of work which attracted widespread acclaim and was subsequently published in an abridged version by The Guardian.

On top of this, Bairner has published exclusive transfer news on several of the world game’s leading players, including Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi.

Over the course of his distinguished career, Robin has built up a sizeable following on social media, most notably on Twitter where he is recognised as one of the foremost English language experts in French football. This credibility and reputation has opened doors to regular appearances on radio, notably the BBC and TalkSport, as well as a myriad of different podcasts, including the official Ligue 1 podcast. Bairner has a wide-ranging interest in sport and has also worked in tennis with the WTA, reporting on matches, writing features and interviewing legends of the game both past and present.

Away from his professional life, Robin supports Scottish League Two side Stirling Albion, where his writing career began by writing pieces for the matchday programme when still in school.