Who do you think will win The Gillette Best Young Player award in 2006?

[AreliusIV]

For the first time ever in 2006, FIFA will award The Gillette Best Young Player award for best player under 21 years of age at the start of the calendar year.

For the 2006 World Cup this means that the player has to have born on or after 1 January 1985. A shortlist of the top three players as selected by the fans on FIFAworldcup.com is submitted. Once the shortlist of up to six players has been drawn up (three by the fans and up to three by the members of the FIFA Technical Study Group, the performances of these players are re-evaluated and a final winner is chosen by the FIFA Technical Study Group.


Ryan BABEL (NED)
Ajax striker Ryan Babel needed just 61 minutes to make his mark on the international stage, with a debut goal for the Netherlands against Romania last year. Performing those heroics on a regular basis is now the 19-year-old's goal.
Current Club: Ajax (Netherlands)
Position: Forward
Date of birth: 19 December 1986

Tranquillo BARNETTA (SUI)
Meaning quiet or modest, the name Tranquillo could hardly be more appropriate for the young player who is generally portrayed as the quiet man of the Switzerland side.
Current Club: Bayer Leverkusen
Position: Midfielder
Date of birth: 22 May 1985

Valon BEHRAMI (SUI)
Switzerland’s celebrity magazine Schweizer Illustrierte recently described international newcomer Valon Behrami as 'our David Beckham' and in many ways it is hard to disagree with that assessment.
Current Club: Lazio (ITA)
Position: Midfielder
Date of birth: 19 April 1985

Cesc FABREGAS (ESP)
Having held a relatively low profile in his native Spain until recent months, the explosive form of Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas has given him a real chance of earning a trip to Germany this summer.
Current Club: Arsenal (England)
Position: Midfielder
Date of birth: 4 May 1987

Andres GUARDADO (MEX)
When Andres Guardado made his Mexican league debut at the age of 19 it was the fulfilment of a long-held dream. Now, as the FIFA World Cup™ approaches, an even greater stage lies in wait for this flying winger.
Current Club: Atlas (Mexico)
Position: Midfielder
Date of birth: 28 September 1986

Karim GUEDE (TOG)
Having just turned 21 in January, Karim Guede is a defender with a bright future.
Current Club: Hamburger SV (GER)
Position: Defender
Date of birth: 1 January 1985

Asamoah GYAN (GHA)
Ghana's 20-year-old striker Asamoah Gyan is a rising star of African football. He may still be learning his trade in Italy but he scored some crucial goals to help his country reach Germany 2006.
Current Club: Modena (Italy)
Position: Forward
Date of birth: 22 November 1985

Marcell JANSEN (GER)
With just two full seasons of Bundesliga football under his belt, 20-year-old defender Marcell Jansen will compete for the left back position in the German national team.
Current Club: Borussia Moenchengladbach (GER)
Position: Defender
Date of birth: 4 November 1985

Aaron LENNON (ENG)
Aaron Lennon planned to spend this summer in front of a television set cheering on England at the FIFA World Cup™, but the midfielder has earned his place at the finals after a stunning season at Tottenham Hotspur.
Current Club: Tottenham Hotspur (ENG)
Position: Midfielder
Date of birth: 16 April 1987

Hedwiges MADURO (NED)
Hedwiges Maduro is a defensive-minded midfielder who can also play as a central defender. Despite his youth and relative inexperience, he is important for the balance of the team.
Current Club: AJAX (NED)
Position: Midfielder
Date of birth: 13 February 1985

Lionel MESSI (ARG)
Lionel Messi became the toast of Argentina when, just days after his 18th birthday, he inspired his country's U-20 side to a fifth world title with a series of masterful displays at the FIFA World Youth Championship Netherlands 2005.
Current Club: Barcelona
Position: Forward
Date of birth: 24 June 1987

Sergio RAMOS (ESP)
When Spain were competing at Korea/Japan 2002, a 16-year-old Sergio Ramos was at home dreaming of playing in the FIFA World Cup™. Four years on, that dream could well come true in Germany.
Current Club: Real Madrid (Spain)
Position: Defender
Date of birth: 30 March 1986

Cristiano RONALDO (POR)
Although trying to keep an eye on Portuguese winger Cristiano Ronaldo can be a tricky business, FIFAworldcup.com managed to run the rule over the Manchester United star.
Current Club: Manchester United (England)
Position: Midfielder
Date of birth: 5 February 1985

Wayne ROONEY (ENG)
In the fast-track world of Wayne Rooney, the Player to Watch tag could be considered a good three years too late as all eyes have been on the young Manchester United and England striker ever since 17 August 2002 when he made his debut for his boyhood club, Everton.
Current Club: Manchester United (England)
Position: Forward
Date of birth: 24 October 1985

Philippe SENDEROS (SUI)
At 17 Philippe Senderos became the first Swiss footballer to hold aloft an international trophy. Four years on he is a key player in a resurgent Switzerland senior team.
Current Club: Arsenal (England)
Position: Defender
Date of birth: 14 February 1985

Assimiou TOURE (TOG)
Central defender Toure Assimiou should have a ‘Made in Germany’ sticker on his back. It is, after all, in the home of this year’s FIFA World Cup™ that he has honed his talents.
Current Club: Bayer Leverkusen (GER)
Position: Defender
Date of birth: 1 January 1988

Johan VONLANTHEN (SUI)
At the age of 20, Swiss striker Johan Vonlanthen has already achieved a lot – and usually at a much younger age than any of his team-mates or rivals.
Current Club: NAC Breda (NED)
Position: Forward
Date of birth: 1 February 1986

Theo WALCOTT (ENG)
The past six months have been beyond the realms of fantasy football for England’s newest and youngest striker Theo Walcott. The 17-year-old is yet to play for his club side Arsenal, but he is the talk of English football.
Current Club: Arsenal (ENG)
Position: Forward
Date of birth: 16 March 1989

[AreliusIV]

Selections begin 9 June 2006
From 9 June until 5 July, you will be able vote for your favourite young player of the 2006 FIFA World Cup GermanyTM and help decide the destiny of the Gillette Best Young Player Award. Below, FIFAworldcup.com profiles the 40 young players eligible for the award who have been selected for their respective squads.

[Aerick]

Other: Medhi Ballouchy! 😁

[AreliusIV]

Rooney is injury free

[AreliusIV]

The Gillette Best Young Player award has been specially created to reward the youngster who makes the biggest impact in his first World Cup finals.

The key difference with this award is that fans can interact and actually vote for who they think should win.

You can vote here and see the current results.

[AreliusIV]

Currently, the results look like this:

Cristiano RONALDO (POR) 18% 21215
Lionel MESSI (ARG) 15% 17400
Chu-Young PARK (KOR) 10% 11567
Hossein KAABI (IRN) 9% 10540
Luis VALENCIA (ECU) 8% 9686
Wayne ROONEY (ENG) 8% 9285

[AreliusIV]

Its a three-horse race:

Luis VALENCIA (ECU) 20% 38701
Lionel MESSI (ARG) 17% 32911
Cristiano RONALDO (POR) 17% 32399

[AreliusIV]

As it stands presently:

Luis VALENCIA (ECU) 33% 120384
Lionel MESSI (ARG) 16% 59655
Cristiano RONALDO (POR) 15% 56102

[AreliusIV]

Six finalists chosen

Cristiano Ronaldo (POR)
Luis Valencia (ECU)
Lionel Messi (ARG)
Lukas Podolski (GER)
Tranquilo Barnetta (SUI)
Cesc Fabregas (ESP)

[AreliusIV]

Lukas Podolski wins