Kalou earns young player accolade
Wednesday, June 1, 2005
Article summary
Feyenoord's Salomon Kalou has won the Johan Cruyff Award for Young Talent of the Year in the Netherlands.
Article body
Pitch selection
The award is chosen by 12 top coaches including Cruyff, Marco van Basten, Guus Hiddink, Ruud Gullit and Wim Jansen, who all nominated the Ivorian international for the award, which is an initiative of the Johan Cruyff Foundation. Kalou will also be allowed to select a location where a public pitch can be created, known as a 'Cruyff Court.'
'Beautiful prize'
"It is a real honour that I have been chosen as the biggest talent," said the 19-year-old. "It is a beautiful prize. I do not know yet where I will want the pitch to be placed. Maybe it will be in Ivory Coast."
Great season
Kalou impressed this season, hitting 20 goals for Feyenoord and finishing second in the Eredivisie scoring charts to his team-mate Dirk Kuijt. Arjen Robben was the first beneficiary of the award in 2003, choosing to have a pitch placed in his hometown of Bedlum, while last year's winner Wesley Sneijder followed suit by selecting his town of birth in Utrecht.
