Johannesburg - Football body FIFA on Friday announced the names of three players nominated for the Hyundai Young Player of the Year Award for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
They are Ghanaian striker Andre Ayew, Mexico's Giovani Dos Santos and Germany's striker Thomas Muller.
The award recognises the positive impact made by young footballers and is open to all participating players who were under 21 on 11 July, 2010.
Jomo Sono, member of FIFA Technical Study Group, said the three youngsters have demonstrated exceptional skills during the tournament as well as youthful and refreshing playing styles harnessed to tactical maturity.
Furthermore, their creativity will have acted as an inspiration to all and earned fan recognition for their performances, while their sense of fair play ensured they served as positive role models to young players everywhere. "The future of football belongs to the youngsters and for us to develop the game we need to focus on the youth," Sono said.
Ayew recorded 85 percent successful passes during Ghana's four matches in the tournament. Dos Santos also displayed incredible passing and scoring tactics as a young player while Muller scored four goals for Germany.
The Hyundai Best Young Player Award is one of the official FIFA Awards and is selected by the Technical Study Group, a FIFA-appointed group of top football coaches and analysts headed by Jean-Paul Brigger, a former Swiss international.
The final winner, who will receive the precious Hyundai Best Young Player Award trophy and an all-new Hyundai Tucson (ix35), will be selected and announced after the World Cup Final on Sunday.
