Christina Higgans, six of Fgura, will be escorting a top football star as he walks onto the pitch at the World Cup final match.

The girl, who will be travelling to Johannesburg in South Africa with her father Christopher, is the lucky winner of the McDonald's Player Escort Programme.

Her family was obviously overjoyed with the news. They screamed with joy when a McDonald's representative contacted them by phone to inform them that Christina would be the Malta representative for the McDonald's Player Escort Programme.

"It has been a dream of my whole life to go to the World Cup and I can't believe that in July my daughter and I will have this opportunity. We are both very excited and I am glad that Christina will have this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity", said Mr Higgans.

A company spokesman said the amount of entries clearly indicated the level of interest in the programme. Children aged between six and 10 had a four-week timeframe during which to fill out an application form and participate in the McDonald's Player Escort programme. There will be 1,408 children from around the world who will escort the players in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

"This is a unique opportunity that puts these children at the centre of the action at one of the greatest international sporting events of the year. I am sure that Christina and her father Christopher will enjoy every minute of this adventure and will remember it for all their lives", said Natasha Giorgio, marketing executive of McDonald's Malta.

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