BOSTON, MA, USA (18, May 2006) – FIFA, the worldwide governing body of football, today announced the final list of candidates for the Gillette Best Young Player Award, following the announcement of the official team rosters for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. In total, 40 players from 21 nations will compete for the first-time award. Switzerland led all nations with six eligible players.

With the final team rosters confirmed, Gillette, part of The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG), and FIFA compiled the list of official candidates, which includes some familiar names such as Argentinean Lionel Messi, England’s Wayne Rooney and Lukas Podolski, of host nation Germany. These young sensations have already proved they have what it takes to play at the highest level.

The Gillette Best Young Player Award winner will be determined by the FIFA Technical Study Group (TSG), headed by Holger Osieck. Fans will have an opportunity to assist in choosing the winner by making their selections via http://www.fifaworldcup.com/. A final shortlist of six players will be drawn up on the 6th of July, with the winner announced on Friday, 7 July at a press conference in Berlin.

The FIFA World Cup has launched many great careers, with such icons as Pelé (Sweden ’58) and Michael Owen (France ’98) bursting onto the global stage at an early age. 

”This prestigious honour will stay with the player forever. It is like a bonus for his future career. Gillette has been a loyal Partner with FIFA for many years now, and we take great pride that its dedication to the game continues with its support of the Best Young Player award,” said FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter.

“The Gillette Best Young Player Award is Gillette’s way of honoring the young athletes who have performed like champions,” said Eric A. Kraus, Vice President, External Relations – Gillette.  “This award mirrors our goal of reaching the highest possible standards of personal performance.”

Official Candidates for Gillette Best Young Player Award
(List of all eligible players)
Mario (Angola) – 01/06/1985
Lionel Messi (Argentina) – 24/06/1987
Oscar Ustari (Argentina) – 03/07/1986
Mark Milligan (Australia) – 04/08/1985
Luka Moderic (Croatia) – 09/09/1985
Christian Benitez (Ecuador) – 01/05/1986
Luis Valencia (Ecuador) – 04/08/1985
Aaron Lennon (England) – 16/04/1987
Wayne Rooney (England) – 24/10/1985
Theo Walcott (England) – 16/03/1989
Marcell Jansen (Germany) – 04/11/1985
Lukas Podolski (Germany) – 04/06/1985
Haminu Dramani (Ghana) 01/04/1986
Asamoah Gyan (Ghana) – 22/11/1985
Hossein Kaabi (Iran) – 23/09/1985
Ji Hooni Baek (Korea Rep.) – 28/02/1985
Jin Kyu Kim (Korea Rep.) – 16/02/1985
Chu Young Park (Korea Rep) – 10/07/1985
Andres Guardado (Mexico) – (28/09/1986)
Guillermo Ochoa (Mexico) – 13/07/1985
Ryan Babel (Netherlands) – 19/12/1986
Hedwiges Maduro (Netherlands) – 13/02/1985
Jose Montiel (Paraguay) – 19/03/1988
Lukasz Fabianski (Poland) – 18/04/1985
Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) – 05/02/1985
Mohammed Al Anbar (Saudi Arabia) – 22/03/1985
Cesc Fabregas (Spain) – 04/05/1987
Sergio Ramos (Spain) – 30/03/1986
Tranquillo Barnetta (Switzerland) – 22/05/1985
Valon Behrami (Switzerland) – 19/04/1985
Johan Djourou (Switzerland) – 18/01/1987
Blerim Dzemaili (Switzerland) – 12/04/1986
Phillippe Senderos (Switzerland) – 14/02/1985
Johan Vonlanthen (Switzerland) – 01/02/1986
Toure Assimiou (Togo) – 01/01/1986
Karim Guede (Togo) – 01/01/1986
Yassine Chikhaoui (Tunisia) 22/09/1986
Dmytro Chigrynskiy (Ukraine) – 07/11/1986
Artem Mileveskiy (Ukraine) – 12/01/1985
Bogdan Shust (Ukraine) 04/03/1986

Award Criteria
The Gillette Best Young Player Award is given to recognize the young player (under 21 years of age on January 1 of the tournament year) who performs “best” during the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ tournament.  The FIFA Technical Study Group will review and select the best young player based on a range of factors. The seven criteria to be used are:

1. Skill
2. Youthful and refreshing playing style
3. Creativity and entertainment
4. Tactical maturity
5. Fan recognition
6. Results
7. Fair Play

In addition to these attributes, the young player’s performance as a role model and positive influence will also be taken into consideration.

Fan Interaction
Fans will have an opportunity to participate in the selection of this official FIFA award by selecting the young player they judge to have been the best performer in the 2006 FIFA World Cup™. Then, a shortlist of the top three players selected by the fans, and the top three players selected by the FIFA Technical Study Group, will be created and reviewed by the Technical Study Group. The criteria listed above will be used to evaluate the performances of the shortlisted players, and a winner will be selected by the FIFA Technical Study Group.

Website
By logging on and registering at http://www.fifaworldcup.com/ starting 9 June 2006 and running through 5 July 2006, fans will be able to select the player they feel most worthy to win the award. Each fan will have the opportunity to select only one player, but fans may change their votes as often as they wish prior to the close of voting. Fans can also access the Best Young Player area by logging on at www.gillette.com/fifaworldcup.

In addition, the website will feature statistics and biographical information on famous young performers from previous FIFA World Cups, as well as details on potential candidates for the 2006 Gillette Best Young Player award.

About Procter & Gamble
Three billion times a day, P&G brands touch the lives of people around the world. The company has one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Pampers®, Tide®, Ariel®, Always®, Whisper®, Pantene® , Mach3®, Bounty®, Dawn®, Pringles®, Folgers®, Charmin®, Downy®, Lenor®, Iams®, Crest®, Oral-B®, Actonel®, Duracell®, Olay®, Head & Shoulders®, Wella, Gillette®, and Braun.  The P&G community consists of almost 140,000 employees working in over 80 countries worldwide.  Please visit http://www.pg.com/ for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.

About FIFA
For the past 101 years, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association, founded on 21 May 1904 in Paris and better known as FIFA, has continued to provide the essential leadership role to the international football family. Headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, the eighth FIFA President, Joseph S. Blatter (Switzerland), guides the organisation today with a commitment to the evolution of FIFA as a modern and dynamic association. The basis of the world’s football family is formed by FIFA’s member associations. From the founding seven in 1904, the family has today grown to 207 affiliated associations, also organised into six confederations spanning the globe. FIFA’s worldwide activities go well beyond its various competitions, such as the world’s biggest single-sport event, the FIFA World Cup™. In projects such as the FIFA GOAL Programme as well as several other development and charity activities such as the SOS Children Villages, FIFA gives material, financial and promotional support to develop the game and bring joy to underprivileged worldwide.

Rick Liebling
Account Supervisor
+1 212-714-1280 ext. 290
Mobile – 917-497-1374
rick@alantaylor.com

Alan Taylor Communications, Inc.
14 Penn Plaza
New York, NY 10122
#1 In Lifestyle & Sports Public Relations
http://www.alantaylor.com/