World Cup 2010 South Africa

Muller named Hyundai Best Young Player

Germany and Bayern Munich star Thomas Muller was officially presented with the Hyundai Best Young Player Award at a ceremony held in Munich, Germany today. The 22-year-old player was at the Olympic Stadium to receive the trophy and an ix 35 car; a fitting recognition of his outstanding performances at the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ where he announced his arrival on the international stage.

Muller’s pace, vision and exceptional technical ability mesmerized football fans around the world during the last year’s FIFA World Cup. Scoring five goals and with three assists, Muller helped Germany to a third-place finish, knocking out historical rivals England and Argentina along the way.
Muller follows fellow German football stars Franz Beckenbauer (1966) and Lukas Podolski (2006) in being recognized as the FIFA World Cup’s best young star. The Hyundai Best Young Player Award was selected by FIFA’s Technical Study Group (TSG) and open to players born on or after 1 January 1989 participating at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Muller beat fellow nominees Giovani dos Santos (Mexico) and Andre Ayew (Ghana) to receive the coveted award.

His five goals and outstanding displays for Germany make him a very worthy recipient of this award. Oliver Takahashi, FIFA Head of Marketing Alliances & Event Management.

Speaking at the handover ceremony, Oliver Takahashi, FIFA Head of Marketing Alliances & Event Management said, “It is a great pleasure for FIFA and our Partner, the Hyundai Motor Company to officially recognise Thomas Muller as the brightest young star of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. His five goals and outstanding displays for Germany make him a very worthy recipient of this award. We would like to thank Hyundai for their support of the Best Young Player Award which continues the proud tradition of recognising exciting talent at the FIFA World Cup."

Werner Frey, Managing Director of Hyundai Motor Deutschland GmbH was also on hand to offer his congratulations to Muller “As a committed supporter of football we are delighted to join together with FIFA and support this special prize which has been a feature of FIFA World Cups since 1958. We feel that the young and dynamic nature of this award fits perfectly with our brand.”

A FIFA Partner since 1999, Hyundai Motor Company recently extended their partnership with FIFA for eight more years to include the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup tournaments. FIFA and Hyundai are already involved in the planning stages for the next edition of the FIFA World Cup, which will be held on Brazilian shores in June and July 2014.

Source: Fifa.com