Listen to what an English Germany fan has to say

London, 18 May 2007 – He’s not only England’s “Player of the Year 2006”  and “Player of the World Cup 2006” but also an avid fan of Germany: Owen Hargreaves is the new face promoting holidays in Germany in a poster campaign of the German National Tourist Office, Air Berlin, Lufthansa, Deutsche Bahn and the German Embassy on the London Underground.

Starting on 21 May and running for two weeks, altogether 220 posters with the Bayern Munich and England national player’s image will be displayed at cross-track sites at 22 London tube stations, such as Bond Street, Green Park, Paddington, Tottenham Court Road, Victoria or Waterloo.

“We’re delighted to have teamed up with Owen speaking for Germany and have deliberately chosen to work with him on this image campaign. He’s not only one of the currently most well-known English persons of public interest in Germany but as a young man with an international background living in Munich he also adds to the contemporary image of Germany and appeals to a broad audience”, says Udo Grebe, Director of the German National Tourist Office in London. “Furthermore, Owen is an almost natural successor to Sir Geoff Hurst who was our partner for last year’s poster campaign. While he made his name at the 1966 World Cup, Owen proved his worth for the English team 40 years later in Germany.”

The midfielder who was born in Canada to English-Welsh parents came to Munich to play for Bayern’s junior team as a 16 year-old and has since then made Bavaria’s capital his home. He played his first “Bundesliga” match in 2000 and with his team has since then won four German Championships, three German (DFB) Cups, the League Cup and the Champions League and the World Club title. He was the only player outside the Premier League to be selected for England’s 2002 FIFA World Cup and has since then played in Euro 2004 in Portugal and the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany.
The poster campaign, created by Tunbridge Wells agency Rodgers & Rodgers and showing Owen claiming “I’m a big fan of Germany – except when we’re playing against them”, aims to invite British visitors to explore the country’s variety of cities and spectacular scenery as shown on a selection of images, featuring mountains and historic cities as well as the beach and modern architecture.

Note to Editors:
Images on request