WASHINGTON - D.C. United's Freddy Adu, has been nominated for the highly prestigious FIFPro "Young Player of the Year" award. Adu, the only American player nominated, will join such big names as Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Arjen Robben (Chelsea FC), Christiano Ronaldo (Manchester United), and Brazilian star, Robinho, who plays for Real Madrid. The remaining seven players nominated include: Javier Alejandro Mascherano (Sport Club Corinthians), Bastian Schweinsteiger (F.C. Bayern Munchen), Dong Fangzou (Manchester United), Francesc Fabregas (Arsenal), Rio Antonio Mavuba (Bordeaux), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), and Obafemi Martins (Inter).
"This is a tremendous honor for Freddy," said United Technical Director Dave Kasper. "As a young player, we are proud of his development and continued determination to be a great player. Freddy and D.C. United both aspire to succeed on the world stage and this is another step toward that goal."
Adu is likely to return to action tomorrow night having recovered from an MCL sprain to his right knee, an injury that has left him sidelined for two weeks. The injury occurred in the first half of United's 3-2 victory over the Chicago Fire on Saturday, August 6. Adu practiced with the team both today and yesterday and is listed as probable for United's Open Cup match against FC Dallas on Wednesday, August 24 at 7:30 p.m. at the Maryland Soccerplex in Germantown, Md.
The FIFPro World Players XI Awards will take place on September 19, 2005 at London's Wembley Conference and Exhibition Center. The award ceremony will also announce prestigious awards such as World Player of the Year and the World XI Legend. The winner of the "Young Player of the Year" award will be chosen by fans from all over the world and announced in front of a global audience of over 150 million viewers.
FIFPro, the International Federation of Professional Footballers' Assocations, is the world's first and only international player-voted football awards ever staged and broadcasted globally. Scottish, French, Italian, Dutch, and English players' associations, for the purpose of representing players and associations and uniting soccer on the world stage, established the international organization in 1965. Today, FIFPro includes 40 players' associations throughout the world.
