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German national team striker Lukas Podolski was named the best young player of the World Cup. From six candidates, the FIFA technical research group, consisting of 14 people, decided to choose the player who scored three goals in the tournament as the first ever recipient of the award in the history of the championships.
Supporters on the official World Cup website chose Ecuadorian Luis Valencia, Portuguese and Argentine Lionel Messi as the best players under 22 who participated in the tournament. However, the technical research group chose Podolski, along with a Swiss and a Spanish player.
Interestingly, C.Ronaldo was leading the voting for a long time, but fans of the English national team, upset about Wayne Rooney's role on the field, campaigned and managed to push Ecuador's Valencia to the forefront. However, the final decision was made by the technical research group, who awarded the prize to Podolski who scored a goal against Ecuador and two against Sweden in the tournament.
"I would have preferred to bring home the World Cup trophy, but this is also a great honor and motivation for me to continue to improve in my career and play even better in the next championship in four years," said L.Podolski.
"He not only scored three goals, but was also the main element of Germany's attack. He showed a good understanding with Miroslav Klose, forming a very effective duo. Together, they scored eight out of eleven national team goals," said the head of the technical research group, Holger Osieck.
Although due to inexperience Podolski missed out on a few good opportunities, such as in the semifinal match against Italy, according to H.Osieck, the player still shows extraordinary maturity, with his main characteristics being unlimited energy and a thirst for victory.
During 563 minutes, Podolski scored 3 goals, took 21 shots on goal, and forced opponents to commit 15 fouls. "Our choice was based on strong facts and how the player performs in a particular tournament, in this case the World Cup. Podolski still has a lot to learn, but he is without a doubt a player with a bright future."
