Over the years, soccer has seen some of the worst haircuts in humanity. From Rene Higuita to Fabricio Coloccini of Newcastle, the Premier League alone has experienced some terrible trims.

Let’s take a look at some of the worst haircuts on the market, both past and present:

10. Raheem Sterling

Liverpool forward Raheem Sterling’s hairdo is just awful. The Liverpool winger’s haircut looks like it’s been possessed by ladies hair curlers. Sterling has the nerve to shave a line down the side of his head, leaving a ridiculously thin sideburn to add the finishing touches to an utterly dreadful haircut.

9. David James

Former England goalkeeper, David James seemed to have a different haircut for each match. Known as “calamity James,” the keeper was famous for his afros, comb-overs and cornrows. The former Portsmouth and Liverpool shot-stopper just couldn’t make his mind up while playing in between the sticks.

8. Rene Higuita

‘The Madman” was also known for his dodgy hair. The Colombian goalkeeper was best known for his scorpion kick, which saved a shot in a friendly game against England. His eccentric style of play got him into all sorts of trouble during his playing days. Yet his long, curly hair could have had him jailed.

7. A trio of defenders

The three defenders in modern soccer who look almost identical, with the same horrendous haircut, are David Luiz, Fabricio Coloccini, and Carles Puyol. Their curly locks look like a dog’s coat of fur. If they were to play in the same team together, people would mistake them for The Simpsons’ Sideshow Bob.

6. Marouane Fellaini

Another frizzy hair-do that is similar to Luiz, Puyol, and Coloccini’s is that of Marouane Fellaini, who currently plays for Manchester United. Fellaini’s hair could have been the reason for his impressive heading ability at Everton, which is something the big Belgian is known for. But not even that mop can help David Moyes’ dreadful first season at Old Trafford.

5. Ronaldo

The Brazilian Ronaldo had a haircut that looked like a shaven head, until you saw the front third of his crown covered in a short tuft of black hair. The reason for the style must have been to help his own son distinguish him from Roberto Carlos on TV, in his playing days.

4. Giovanni Simeone

The son of Diego has not only one of the worst haircuts ever, but this is quite possibly the worst thing I have ever seen. Without exaggerating, Simeone’s haircut generally looks like the hairdresser’s razor ran out of batteries halfway through the process. Although it certainly doesn’t look like a hairdresser has attempted to cut this, it was more likely Simeone himself.

3. Djibril Cisse

The striker is well known to followers of the Premier League for his spell at Liverpool between 2004 and 2007. Although some would argue Cisse may be better known for his selection of outrageous hairstyles rather than his playing ability, Cisse’s hairstyles were so bad that he once had a spider’s web cut into his hair, after he bleached it yellow.

2. Chris Waddle

One of the most renowned haircuts in English soccer has to be Chris Waddle’s mullet during his time at Tottenham. No words can describe the short sides, with long hair down the back. From the front it looks like a wig, but unfortunately, there’s no hiding the hideous haircut of the former English footballer.

1. Taribo West

The Nigerian had the worst haircut in the world. It could only be described as braids, but with most of his head shaved, and then the braids put up into pigtails. He even had the cheek to die his hair bright green at one stage during his career. West had a brief spell at Plymouth Argyle, where he made four appearances. The west-country club obviously weren’t big fans of his ability to play, as well as his terrible haircut.

People in soccer say that if you wear bright-colored soccer cleats then you need to be good enough to pull them off. Unfortunately, the same rule doesn’t apply to hairstyles, but these 10 soccer players got hell of a lot of stick for these shocking “barnets.”

“A serious soccer fan is never alone. We are a legion, and soccer is often the only thing we have in common.” Hunter S Thompson.

Supporting your team in the World Cup is one of the greatest joys for soccer fans. However, the stadiums can hold only so many seats. What about the legions of fans that are left without their voices being heard? How do you bring the soccer tribe into one global stadium where they can voice support for their favorite team(s) , socialize, share pictures and videos, organize in groups and be rewarded?  We call that the global stadium, a home of the global 12th player/man and Fanspectrum provides the concept and technology behind it.

The main concept of Fanspectrum is “Support” that is shown in real time on a global map. Certainly you can use “likes” and “followers” to measure numbers and influence but are they relevant when it comes to fans actually supporting the team during a specific match? Does FC Barcelona, as the leader in sports social media, really get support by its 62 million likes during the game? That would be one extremely large stadium. This is how we create that stadium.

During sign up process, the user has to choose his location and favorite teams. Favorite teams are the expression of users’ loyalty, and location provides the users’ seat in the global stadium.

The core feature of Fanspectrum is the Fan Battle where fans of one team battle against fans of the other team. By selecting “Support” for a specific team, the user enters that Fan battle with its feed. “Support” itself has 3 levels: “Full support” means complete support for the team, “Respect” is to show that you admire the team, and “Despise” is to show that feeling of rivalry when it’s impossible to like that team and therefore you despise it.  Every fan has those feelings. The team with the most “Support” wins the Fan Battle.

Fan Army is our second feature and can be described as a cross between MeetUp and group chat, where like minded fans can create their own entity which we call a Fan Army. Our vision is to create a network of unofficial supporter clubs here.

The third feature is the interactive global map (we call it Demographics for now), that shows the support given. This is the global stadium. Fans can see other fans and interact with each other.

All the activity on Fanspectrum, especially considering support and getting more people to support, is analyzed through our system and presented on Leaderboards, where the 12th player/man is crowned.

Every sport is played for fans. Fans need to be acknowledged and rewarded. Our goal is to give every fan that opportunity.

Download Fanspectrum in the iTunes App Store or download at Google Play.

Currently showing immense intent to pursue the aspirations of the motivated chairman, Southampton are continuing their journey to rise up the English soccer ladder.

Understandably, the Italian chairman was doubted when he decided to sack Nigel Adkins in January last season, following a run of just two league losses in 12 matches. However, you would struggle to find a Southampton supporter who would disagree with the chairman’s decision to replace Adkins with Mauricio Pochettino having already seen off Liverpool home and away, Chelsea, Manchester City and picking up a point at home to Arsenal since taking over as Saints’ manager.

The new-styled pressing approach was evident from the first match that the Argentine took over against Everton back in January, but it is now becoming obvious that the Saints team have developed and responded to the manager’s aims since coming over to Southampton.

Some would argue that Pochettino’s side failed to pick up a point at Norwich this season, or even beat a weakened West Ham United team at home, but the Saints side of last season had only picked up three league wins before Christmas, losing to West Brom, Wigan and the Hammers. Ian Holloway’s struggling Crystal Palace team head to St. Mary’s this weekend in search of their second win of the campaign, but Saints fans will be expectant of another three points to keep driving the team up into the top 10.

Any Premier League manager would admit that Anfield is one of the hardest places to pick up a result, so when Southampton went and took all three points last weekend for the first time in 10 years, there was certainly something to brag about on the South coast. There is also the last 16 of the Capital One Cup to boast about too, having seen off a resilient Bristol City side at St. Mary’s on Tuesday evening. Pochettino put out a completely different 11-man team compared to Saturday’s line-up at Anfield and still managed to progress into the next round.

The last two seasons have seen Southampton knocked-out of the League Cup by opposition lower than the Premier League with a full strength side out, but Tuesday evening’s fixture saw more youthful talent take to the field at St. Mary’s. Not only have results been going their way, but the club has also got young prospects coming through the system, as they have done for the past decade.

Calum Chambers, just 18-years-old, has already made four appearances for the first time in the Premier League this season and as a result, has been named in the England Under-19 squad for next month’s 2014 UEFA European Championship qualifiers along with Matt Targett, another Southampton graduate.

Saturday’s goalscorer at Anfield, Dejan Lovren, has confessed that the club are aiming for a Champions League spot within two years:

“Every player here thinks we can get into the Champions League within the next two years. It’s a big job, but everything is possible. Playing in the Champions League is an experience you can never forget and I hope to do it with Southampton. We can do something big this season, I want a place in the top seven or eight.”

Lovren gave up Champions League football to join the Saints during the summer; this shows how the ‘Southampton project’ is highly appealing to players on the market.

Becoming a Champions League team within two years of becoming a Premier League team is clearly a tough ask, but Southampton have already showed a statement of intent this season by beating one of the considered top six clubs in Liverpool. Pochettino’s side are now above Manchester United in the Premier League, but the Southampton fans will not be complacent following their impressive start to the campaign.

Southampton will play host to Crystal Palace this weekend as Ian Holloway’s side will be in search for just their second win of the season. The last time the two teams met were in April 2012 when Rickie Lambert’s brace saw Saints win 2-0 at Selhurst Park. Fierce rivals Portsmouth were also in the Championship during the 2011-12 season, which shows how much has changed from then up to last weekend. Southampton took all three points at Anfield, whilst Pompey lost 1-0 to Fleetwood Town at Fratton Park.

Speculation has surrounded Pochettino and his inability to speak English since joining the club in January, but evidence of the Argentine speaking reasonably good English dismisses this speculation with fact that the manager has spoken in English to Sky Sports presenter Ed Chamberlain (link below). In a recent press conference, Pochettino has expressed that he does speak English, and he will speak English to the media ‘soon’, but for now he will only speak English to the squad.

On 31 August 2012, Gaston Ramirez joined Southampton for a reported £12 million, but the Uruguayan can only find a place on the bench so far this season due to notable appearances from team mates Jay Rodriquez, Adam Lallana and James Ward-Prowse, all young English talent. Ramirez started against Bristol City in the Carling Cup on Tuesday evening and scored the opening goal, reminding Pochettino what the attacking midfielder is all about as he pushes for a first-team spot.

One negative from Tuesday evening’s tie against Bristol City was the attendance at St. Mary’s. Southampton fans have been out in force over the past few seasons during their rise back to the Premier League, but over-priced tickets for the Capital One clash resulted in just 8,000 spectators at the match.

Brazilian midfielder Willian has agreed personal terms with Tottenham Hotspur, and could complete a £30million deal either today or tomorrow, reports The Independent newspaper. The Anzhi footballer has reportedly passed his medical.

The Brazilian is fairly unknown to the Premier League, but the player has high expectations following the reported £30million transfer fee.

Willian Borges da Silva, commonly known as Willian, is a left midfielder who currently plays for Anzhi Makhachkala. The 25-year-old has only been at Anzhi since 31 January 2013, scoring once in his 11 appearances for the club. He has also played 11 times for the Brazil Under-20s, and played for the senior team twice.

The reason for the speculated move in the first place was due to Anzhi’s restructuring at business level. The club transfer-listed the whole squad, including new signing Willian.

At 25, Willian has already won the Ukrainian Premier League four times, the Ukrainian Cup and Super Cup three times and the UEFA Cup once.

Tottenham can expect a versatile, creative winger who can ease past a player with his skill and pace, as well as having an eye for goal.

Willian was just 19 when he signed for Shakhtar for a fee of $19million, he was then snapped up by Anzhi for a fee in the region of $35million, almost double his previous transfer fee.

Willian’s success at Shakhtar Donetsk has already made him a winner, which is something needed at White Hart Lane with top four the target this season. He has played in the Champions League and the UEFA Cup, giving him added experience in vital matches for Andre Villas-Boas. Willian was part of the Shakhtar team that won the domestic treble in the 2010-11 season.

René Meulensteen, ousted Anzhi boss, suggested Spurs will have grabbed “a major trump card” if they manage to sign Willian.

“I’ve worked with him for a short time but I really, really like him. He will be an asset for whoever’s going to get him.

“If it’s Spurs thats going to get him they’ll get an excellent player. He’s very versatile, he can play in different positions, he’s a creative player and an excellent professional with a very good personality.

“He’s going to be a major trump card for Spurs if they can get the deal to go through.”

Arsenal will be hopeful that last season’s hard work doesn’t go to waste as they take on Fenerbahce at Sukru Saracoglu Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey today at 2:45pm ET (for viewers in the United States, the match will be shown live on FOX Sports 1 and FOXSoccer2Go). Arsene Wenger has called for a big performance in the UEFA Champions League play-off game as he aims to take pressure off the club and its players due to a disappointing start this past weekend.

The Gunners’ bid to finish in the top four last term went right down to the final day of the season when a 1-0 win at Newcastle ensured they went into the hat for the Champions League play-offs. Now, only Fenerbahce stand between Arsenal and a place in European football’s premier competition.

Wenger admitted his side can’t afford any slip-ups.

“We fought very hard last season to be in the top four and this game has a vital importance,

“On the back of our defeat against Aston Villa, it’s important as well to bounce back straight away.”

Arsenal have been handed a number of fitness boosts ahead of the match. Bacary Sagna, Kieran Gibbs, Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshire and Tomas Rosicky all trained on Tuesday morning.

However, England international Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will miss the game after his knee injury has ruled him out for at least six weeks.

For Fenerbahce, the familiar face of Dirk Kuyt will greet viewers. Fenerbahce will select their strongest team, which they’re unable to do in the Turkish Super League due to a rule being introduced that limits sides to six foreign players.

The Turkish side also suffered an opening day defeat as they lost 3-2 despite having taken a two-goal lead against Konyaspor on Saturday.

Editor’s note: FOXSoccer2Go is currently offering a free trial, so if you live in the United States, you can watch the game live and online for free today. The match kicks off at 2:45pm ET.

Southampton have signed AS Roma and Italy striker Pablo Osvaldo on a £12.8million deal with the fee rising to £14.5million with add-ons. The prolific striker will be unveiled at St Mary’s tomorrow after signing a four year contract. The Saints have announced that the player should be ready to play against Sunderland this Saturday.

Twenty seven-year-old Pablo Osvaldo is the latest addition to Mauricio Pochettino’s squad this summer. The Italian breaks the club’s transfer record.

At Roma, Osvaldo scored 27 goals in 55 league appearances. The Argentina-born striker has been a journeyman footballer, playing for a string of clubs that include Bologna, Espanyol, Fiorentina, Lecce and others. At the national level, he has nine caps for Italy in which he has scored three goals.

After last week’s incredible story regarding Rickie Lambert who was called up to play for his country for the first time, scored with his first touch and became a father to his latest child, Saints fans thought the week couldn’t get any better. In addition to that, Lambert scored a crucial late penalty to give Southampton a 1-0 win away against West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.

In comparison to last season, the Saints lost 3-0 and 2-0 against West Brom last season and have since signed Dejan Lovren, Victor Wanyama and now Pablo Osvaldo for a combined worth of around £36 million.

Nicola Cortese has shown serious intent since taking over control of the club when Markus Liebherr passed away in 2010. The Italian has spent enormous amounts of money on top signings and has sealed deals with promising youngsters at the club who have risen through the youth system such as Luke Shaw, Calum Chambers and James Ward-Prowse.

Southampton finished fourteenth last season and the supporters seemed content after a roller-coaster season, but they can expect better things to come in the near future as the club are showing ambition which could lead Saints into the top half of the Premier League.

The surprising sacking of Nigel Adkins seems a distant memory to all involved at the club, with the previous £7million record-signing of Jay Rodriquez now feeling like a decade ago. Earlier in the year, Pochettino revealed, “In the next two years I want to be back in the Champions League with Southampton and I believe it’s not unreal.” this signal of intent shown may well become reality as Saints fans are enjoying one of the best periods at the club.

This summer so far, Premier League clubs have signed even fewer English footballers than usual from the Championship. Incredibly, there have been only five signings from the Championship in this window despite the fact that the 24 teams of the Championship have English talent that are capable of making the step up to the top flight.

With many senior England players nearing the end of their international careers and Premier League clubs signing foreign stars from around the globe, the opportunities for English footballers to move up to the Premier League are continuing to decline each year. Out of last season’s top ten goalscorers in the Championship, six of them were English.

Dwight Gayle joined newly promoted Crystal Palace from Peterborough, whilst fellow newly promoted side Cardiff City snapped up John Brayford from Derby County for £1.5million. Forty-year-old Kevin Phillips was another player to be transferred from the Championship to the Premier League after signing a one-year deal with Palace after being loaned to them from Blackpool. Nathan Redmond made the move from Championship side Birmingham to Norwich City for a reported £2million plus up to £1.2million in add-ons, which may seem a lot of money for a 19-year-old without a single match in the Premier League. Likewise, Curtis Davies, who was signed by newly promoted Hull City for a fee believed to be in the region of £2.3million.

Premier League clubs now see young players like Redmond as a gamble as they are required to pay a greater fee in order to sign homegrown talent, despite the possibility of the player being a flop in the Premier League. With even more television funds for top-flight teams in recent years, Championship clubs are aware of the vast amounts of money that the Premier League clubs have available for transfers and negotiate for the highest possible transfer sum, resulting in extravagantly-priced English players.

The majority of clubs signing English players from the Championship are newly-promoted clubs joining the Premier League. Norwich and Swansea City are too excellent examples of teams that have a core of Championship and lower league footballers who have helped the club get into the top flight, while many of the same footballers have risen to Premier League levels.

Other English footballers in the Championship who should see opportunities in the Premier League in the near future include Blackburn’s Jordan Rhodes, QPR’s Charlie Austin and Watford’s Troy Deeney. Austin scored an impressive 24 goals for Burnley in the second-tier last season and still failed to attract a team in the Premier League to bid for the 24-year-old Englishman. Troy Deeney was another English player who scored 20 goals in the Championship last campaign, but narrowly missed out on promotion, leaving him behind in the second-tier. Deeney has begun this season in the Championship once again as a lack of bids from Premier League clubs has seen a drought in English players making enough progress through the leagues.

The 2013 UEFA Women’s Euro kicks off on Wednesday, July 10 in Sweden, the host nation. For viewers in the United States, all games will be shown live on ESPN3.

The venues for the Championship will include the 30,000 seater Friends Arena, which will host the final on July 28. Gamla Ullevi will also host three group matches and one semi-final, Nya Parken will also hold a number of group matches with the other semi-final. The quarter-finals and other group matches will be played in Guldfågeln Arena, Myresjöhus Arena, Arena Linköping and Örjans Vall.

The Germans will be looking to win their eighth title following their Euro 2009 success in Finland, but England will be keen to win their first Euro title after coming so close in the competition four years ago.

England, ranked seventh in the world, kick off their Euro 2013 against Spain on July 12 and will compete in the same group as France and Russia. Group C could be labeled as the hardest group in the tournament, with France becoming one of the most dominant nations of late. The Euro 2009 quarter-finalists were also impressive in the 2011 World Cup, finishing fourth under Bruno Bini. Russia’s best result in the European Championships is the quarter-finals but they will be fortunate to reach that far this year with the group they’ve been given, the side didn’t qualify for the World Cup in 2011 and have had a replacement coach since. However, Russia’s warm-up matches for the competition have been fairly successful, having only lost once since February.

Germany, one of the most successful teams in women’s football, will begin their campaign against the Netherlands at Växjö Arena. The two nations will compete in Group B with Iceland and Norway. It will be Iceland’s second time in the Euro’s, having competed in the Championship for the first time in 2009. In contrast, Norway are former European, World and Olympic champions and thus one of the most successful national teams

The first match of the tournament will be Italy vs Finland on July 10 at Örjans Vall. The Italians reached the quarter-finals of Euro 2009 and have looked strong under fairly new manager Antonio Cabrini, having remained unbeaten during the qualifying rounds for Euro 2013.

Italy and Finland will share Group A with tournament hosts Sweden and Denmark, who have failed to have much of an impact on women’s football in recent years. The Sweden international side have been granted with hugely generous funds to help develop the side, they are currently ranked sixth in the world, which is also their lowest ever FIFA ranking.

The 2013 Championship will be the final time the competition is held with just twelve teams. From 2017 onwards, 16 teams will compete.

The tournament hosts Brazil will play the World and European Champions Spain on Sunday at Estadio do Maracana.

For viewers in the United States, the broadcast for the match will kick off at 5:30pm ET on ESPN and WatchESPN.

Spain confirmed their place in the final on Thursday evening after beating Mario Balotelli-less Italy 7-6 on penalties after a 0-0 draw in regulation and after extra time. Despite the victory, Spain took their time getting started in the first-half and the Italians could have easily gone two or three-up in the semi-final.

Brazil have had the advantage of playing in front of their home crowd throughout the tournament and that asset will prove even more helpful in the final, as the Brazilian supporters have failed to take to the Spain side during each of their matches so far.

Both teams remain unbeaten in the Confederations Cup and there isn’t much to separate the two sides on paper. Fernando Torres and Neymar are expected to set the tone for the finale as each sides’ main threat.

Brazil may have the benefit of extra rest as Spain’s encounter with Italy needed extra-time and penalties to secure a winner, whilst the Spaniards will go into the final full of confidence having scored every penalty in the shoot-out.

The final on Sunday will be the fourth major final Spain will play in five years, while a regenerated youthful Brazil side will hope to rekindle its glory under Filipe Scolari.

For the neutral, Spain versus Brazil is the final of dreams, even Spain captain Iker Casillas said: “I think everybody was waiting for this Confederations Cup final to be Spain vs. Brazil”.

The final will be a good insight for the rest of the world as the Confederations Cup has been labeled as the ‘warm-up’ for the FIFA 2014 World Cup Brazil.

Southampton supporters will have little to smile about today as their new home and away kits were released for the 2013-14 season.

The Premier League club, who finished 14th last season, have teamed-up with the famous sports manufacturer adidas, who are sponsors of many kits in English football.

Leaked pictures of the new home and away shirts were discovered on sites days before the official release by the club, with Southampton fans expressing their embarrassment and hopefulness that the leaks were fakes. Although it turned out to be the genuine 2013-14 shirts.

The Saints fans were disappointed last season when the club revealed a new strip (designed by Umbro), which failed to include any of the club’s traditional stripes, a feature that has been apparent in most of their kits throughout the Saints’ history.

Not only have the club released a kit without the traditional stripes again, but they have also raised the prices from last year’s strip. Shirt prices ahead of the 2013-14 campaign have risen to £50, compared to last season’s reasonable £32.

The Southampton players will have to wear non-striped shirts for another season as supporters question the chairman’s respect to the club’s tradition.

Nicola Cortese, the club’s controversial chairman, revealed season ticket holders would receive a 10% discount on the home/away shirt, this was a deal the supporters were happy with – until they realized how expensive the shirts were.

Despite scrapping the stripes, it was revealed last November that Southampton’s 2012-13 kit was the fastest selling ever for the club.

More outrage was expressed when the Southampton fans noticed other football league kits looked almost identical to the new strip. Bristol City’s new 2013-14 home shirt is shown to use the same Adidas template as the Saints’ newly released outfit.

The Saints fans have already started social network campaigns against the new shirt, with tweets directed at the football club reading “#SaveOurStripes”.

The second semi-final is an all-European affair, with reigning world champions Spain taking on Italy, the runners-up at UEFA Euro 2012. This match is also a re-run of last year’s continental final, which ended in victory for Spain.

Italy have vowed to use their imagination in the semi-final against the world and European champions, but Spain were already favorites before the Italy squad had been struck with injury problems.

Italy will be without their top goalscorer of the competition – Mario Balotelli and right-back Ignazio Abate at the Fortaleza’s Estadio Castelao.

Italian media reports suggest the former Florientina manager will deploy a compact 3-5-2 formation, with an all-Juventus back three of Giorgio Chiellini, Leandro Bonucci and Andrea Barzagli.

The system will be an attempt to stop Spain from holding the majority of possession throughout the match, and Spain defender Sergio Ramos remains wary of the Italy threat.

“Italy have a very strong competitive mentality and have always shown that, despite their last result against us.”

Spain have scored the most goals in the FIFA Confederations Cup 2013 with a tally of 15, seven goals more than their opponents despite playing the same amount of games.

Fernando Torres remains top goalscorer in the competition so far, scoring five goals. Spain team-mate David Villa has scored three goals and will be pushing Torres for the golden boot.

For viewers in the United States, Spain against Italy will be televised live on ESPN and WatchESPN today at 2:30pm ET.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s future is again under speculation following reports in Spain suggesting that the Portugal captain will meet Manchester United officials before heading back to pre-season in Madrid.

A Madrid daily newspaper (El Pais) has reported that both teams will deny the meeting, which is supposed to be held within the next few days, as it breaches a FIFA ruling.  Plus El Pais is reporting that Manchester United will offer Ronaldo a signing-on bonus of £42million if he pens the deal.

Recently appointed Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti is unlikely to sanction any deal that allows Ronaldo to leave the Santiago Bernabeu this summer.

Ronaldo has privately been urged to wait 18 months, until the end of his current contract, before making his big move in football.

It is believed that Ronaldo holds a deep affection for his previous club Manchester United and the Red Devils would be the only team he would join in England. This fondness was shown when Ronaldo refused to celebrate after scoring against United during a Champions League match at Old Trafford in March.

Contract negotiations have been put on hold between Ronaldo and Real Madrid, meaning the possibility of the 28-year-old leaving the club is greater than before, although the chance of him staying and seeing out his remaining contract is also a slight expectation.

What do you think? Can you see Ronaldo joining Manchester United this summer, or will he sign a new contract at Real Madrid? Give us your opinion in the comments section below.

Brazil host Uruguay in the first semi-final of the 2013 Confederations Cup today (2:30pm ET on ESPN and WatchESPN), a match which will add a little extra spice to what promises to be an intriguing encounter with a reinvigorated Brazil side, the first meeting between these old rivals since 2009.

The fact there have been no previous encounters between the sides in four years means that many of the players running out at the Mineirao on Wednesday will be facing each other for the first time in their international careers.

The winners of this match will go through to the final to face the winners of the other semi-final, either Spain or Italy.

Uruguay go into the semi-final clash fresh from an 8-0 victory over Tahiti, whilst their opponents have remained unbeaten throughout the tournament, having conceded just two goals.

The two teams are at different stages of their development, with the hosts having a change of personnel in recent times as the emergence of a clutch of players take their first steps onto the international stage, among them Neymar and Oscar.

In contrast, the majority of names in the Uruguay line-up are approaching the twilight of their careers, as Diego Lugano pointed out recently suggesting it could have been the “end for this generation” if the squad failed to qualify for Brazil 2014.

Uruguay striker Abel Hernandez has four goals so far this tournament, leaving him one behind lead goalscorer Fernando Torres, whilst Brazil top goalscorer Neymar has three goals to his tally so far.

Today’s FIFA Confederations Cup semi-final is already labeled one of the world’s biggest rivalries in international football.

Who do you think will win today? Vote in the poll below.

[polldaddy poll=7207088]

Chelsea have shown continued interest in signing Edinson Cavani following a reported £49.3m fee has been agreed by the two clubs.

At the same time, there’s conflicting reports regarding whether a deal has been struck or not. Chelsea are reported to be in talks with Napoli regarding the Uruguayan striker. Meanwhile, reports in the press indicate that Cavani has told his mother and father to essentially “shut up” and not talk about his future plans, as both have been featured in the press in the past week pontificating about where the striker is heading.

Cavani has shown his worth this season, scoring 38 goals in all competitions, his most successful of his career to date.

Jose Mourinho has already set the marker since taking charge at Chelsea after signing Andre Schurrle from Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday.

Mourinho already has attacking options with the likes of Fernando Torres, Demba Ba and Romelu Lukaku all in the squad, which will return to pre-season on July 1.

The interest in Cavani will re-ignite transfer rumors of the forwards who are currently at Chelsea, with Torres’ future in doubt as the Spaniard is linked with a move to Barcelona.

Cavani was the Serie A top goalscorer last season and the 26-year-old looks in the prime of his career, a signing which would show real intent by Mourinho as the new Chelsea boss.

The Premier League season just wouldn’t feel right if Wigan Athletic weren’t in a relegation scrap with just two games remaining. Last season, Roberto Martinez’s men turned up the heat towards the final month or so, steering the Latics up to fifteenth to confirm survival once again, but this season is different. Wigan have an FA Cup final on their minds, and with two huge games after the final, Martinez has a dilemma on his hands. Should Wigan concentrate on the FA Cup final in order to try and win a trophy, or should they play a weakened side against Manchester City in the final and concentrate solely on Premier League safety?

After Tuesday’s 3-2 loss at home against Swansea, Wigan still remain in the bottom three, but missed a chance to move up three places in the league if they had held on to a win. The race for survival could be out of Wigan’s reach by this weekend, or it could go down to the final day of the season when Wigan host Aston Villa.

In recent years, we have witnessed big clubs like Wolves, Blackburn and Bolton all struggle after relegation from the Premier League, as they linger above the relegation zone once again in the Championship the following season (Wolves relegated to League One). Wigan have been yo-yoing above the relegation zone since the 2009-10 season, and supporters may fear that relegation this season could prove costly in the clubs stature after seeing former Premier League teams battle financially.

Martinez should concentrate on the club’s remaining Premier League fixtures, as the FA Cup final will be a very tough match due to Manchester City’s lack of title success in the league this campaign. Roberto Mancini, whose future is in doubt at City, will want to add another trophy to the Sky Blue’s cabinet and with nothing to play for in the league, City will field a full-strength side at Wembley against Wigan. Mancini’s side have already taken their foot off the gas in the Premier League following United being crowned Champions. It is evident they already have one eye on the Cup final.

Wigan take on Arsenal at the Emirates three days after the FA Cup final, a game which could be pivotal in the clubs survival hopes come the end of the season. Admittedly, the Arsenal match will not be easy for the Latics, as a Champions League spot will still be up for grabs for Arsene Wenger’s side. However, if Wigan can grab a win going into the penultimate game against Aston Villa on the final day, then survival could be in touching distance.

As much as an FA Cup would delight the supporters of Wigan, I think the Premier League is much more important for the club and Martinez should bare that in mind when fielding his chosen 11 for the Cup final against a strong Manchester City side.

Southampton Football Club are often complimented for their state-of-the-art facilities, including the 32,000 seater St Mary’s stadium, but what ever happened to The Dell, the Saints’ former home between 1898 to 2001?

The mid-1990s was when the people of Southampton knew The Dell wouldn’t be around for much longer, the club chairman at the time, Rupert Lowe, announced plans to move to St Mary’s on the banks of the River Itchen.

The new ground has witnessed some extraordinary sites since being made available for the 2001-02 season, with two relegations, two promotions, and fourteen managers, but things seem to have changed since the takeover of Markus Liebherr in 2009.

Everything is all very well and rosy now with St Mary’s as a UEFA 4-star rated stadium, but what ever happened to The Dell?

The Dell was the first stadium to have permanent floodlighting installed and was the home to Southampton for 103 years, including some of the club’s finest moments – including a 1976 run which ended in a win at Wembley. At the end of the 2000-01 season it was time to say goodbye to The Dell and the fans decided to strip all the seats for memorabilia, there were even some fans taking advertisement boards home with them.

Saints legend Matthew Le Tissier said goodbye to The Dell in style by scoring a last minute volley against Arsenal to win the match 3-2. A week later, the final game had taken place and it was Uwe Rosler who scored the final goal at the ground.

Following The Dell being knocked down, a housing estate was built on the site that used to host some memorable matches, the apartment blocks on the site make up the names of former Southampton players. Le Tissier – The first midfielder to score 100 goals in the Premier League – is one of the players with their names on the apartment blocks, along with Bobby Stokes, Ted Bates, Danny Wallace and Mick Channon.

Then: The Dell; Now: The new housing estate

The Dell had been redeveloped four times over its history and was iconic for the Milton Road Stands‘ wedge-like appearance. Prior to the Hillsborough disaster, The Dell once had a record attendance of over 31,000 people watch a single match, but due to the new obligations, the stadium was eventually restricted to a capacity of 15,200.

With Southampton all but safe in the Premier League for another season, the newly promoted club can now look towards the future and plan ahead for next season’s expectations. Prior to the 3-0 loss against West Bromwich Albion, there were talks about possible qualification for Europe through the Fair Play league, but the two red cards shown to Danny Fox and Gaston Ramirez shattered those prospects. Therefore, it begs the question, what does Southampton manager Mauricio Pochettino have to do this summer to take Southampton to the next level?

During this campaign, we have witnessed the Saints grow and mature from strength to strength during their first season back in the top flight, with the arrival of Pochettino injecting an extra spark into the side who have kept outside of the drop zone since the turn of the new year. Despite the all-but guaranteed survival, Southampton fans will hope for some new additions to the squad over the summer, to eliminate any chance of being involved in another relegation battle next term.

But Pochettino has already set his sights on a top four finish next season as he revealed at a recent pre-match press conference. The 41-year-old told reporters: “In the next two years I want to be back in the Champions League with Southampton and I believe it’s not unreal.”

All supporters love to see confidence in their manager, but Pochettino may be looking a step too far when talking about a top four finish. Admittedly, Southampton have played some beautiful soccer this season and have beaten some of the best teams in England, but do the Saints really have similar quality and depth like Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City and Tottenham, who have filled the top five spots this season?

First on the ‘to do’ list for Pochettino will be sacrificing the players who have been out on loan and unused substitutes for most of the season. Players like Billy Sharp, Dean Hammond, Danny Butterfield, Lee Barnard, Jonathan Forte, Danny Seaborne, Steve De Ridder and Tommy Forecast have all played the majority of the season away from St Mary’s.

The back four have improved dramatically since the beginning of the season, but Pochettino will still need to strengthen this area of the team particularly. Too many goals have been leaked with the current defenders and despite the arrival of Vegard Forren – who arrived at the same time as Pochettino, he is yet to make an appearance for the club.

Southampton are well-known for having an astonishing youth set-up at the club, with previous graduates going on to respectively bigger clubs (Gareth Bale, Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain etc.) and the tradition continues with young left-back Luke Shaw, who has developed into a first team regular since making his full Premier League début in November. Shaw has now played over 20 times for the side since breaking into the team and looks to have cemented the left-back position for the future.

However, experience is key in the top flight and if they are to be taken to the next level by Pochettino, the Argentine must spend wisely in the summer and bring in prime, experienced players in order for the Saints to develop as an established Premier League outfit. The system of football that Pochettino has the side playing is effective. And there is no doubt that the ambition is instilled with the players, manager and chairman, and the bank balance at Southampton is far from empty, so I believe all Pochettino must do now is build a strong enough team to challenge for an improved final position next season.

Philippe Coutinho has taken to English soccer like a duck to water, having immediately adapted into Liverpool’s playing style. The Brazilian signed for the Reds in January for a reported £8.5m fee and has already shown his worth in a Liverpool shirt as the 2012-13 season draws to a close.

There was a great expectation when Coutinho arrived at Anfield and he has excelled brilliantly since stepping onto the pitch. The attacking midfielder scored on his full début during a 5-0 victory over Swansea, before setting up the sides’ first and second goals in the 4-0 win over Wigan in March.

Coutinho has added an extra dimension to Liverpool’s game since joining, giving them an extra attacking option with an abundance of creativity. His fast, direct play adds flair in the midfield and he can also play as a second striker on the flanks. It’s evident that Coutinho’s arrival has helped create more goals in the side as Liverpool have won by some unusual margins since February. With Coutinho, Liverpool have beaten Swansea 5-0, Wigan 4-0 and Newcastle 6-0. Encouragingly, the Reds have only lost twice in the Premier League with Coutinho in the squad.

Coutinho has been compared to Lionel Messi and Ronaldinho by Southampton manager Mauricio Pochettino, who the 20-year-old played for at Espanyol.

Some critics may say that Coutinho has only scored twice since coming to England, but he has five assists to his name already and has created a number of chances for his colleagues, including the sensational through-ball to Daniel Sturridge during the 6-0 win over Newcastle.

There was a sense of expectation on the youthful promise in Jonjo Shelvey, Raheem Sterling, Stewart Downing and Jordan Henderson as the transfer failings of the summer gave Brendan Rodgers little choice in attacking players in August. However, at £8.5m, Coutinho looks set to be one of the signings of the season in the Premier League at just 20 years of age. The Brazilian has been showing Liverpool what they have been missing in the first six months of the season. Admittedly, Sturridge has also added a positive dimension to the Reds’ strike force, but Coutinho has been the star of the show so far during the second-half of the campaign.

The short-figured playmaker may not have the most of towering physiques in the Premier League, but he certainly makes up for it in ability and skill as he has fitted into Rodger’s team securely. It will be a tough task to keep hold of Suarez during the summer with all the media speculation surrounding him, but Rodger’s may look to build his side for next year around Liverpool’s new number 10, Philippe Coutinho.

If you’re an owner of an Apple iPad and you’ve been searching for great soccer apps to check out, here are five of my favorites:

Score!

Score! is one of the best soccer apps out there with a wide range of memorable goals to reenact on your iPad. From the 1980’s to the Euros, or even goals from legends, Score! gives you the option to score some of the most iconic goals in world soccer history. This app even has commentary on the goals you score, which always tends to add excitement. Free.

Flick Kick

Flick Kick is a fantastic app for any competitive soccer-lovers. With an option to play online as well as single player, you can curl in some of the best freekicks possible. The aim is in the name — to flick the ball on the screen round the wall and into the goal. There are a wide range of game modes in single player mode, such as arcade, bullseye, skillshot or, for those of who like to challenge themselves, time attack. Whilst you face the goal, it’s your decision whether you want to bend it over the wall, try and drill it in, or even fool the goalkeeper with curl. Flick Kick is $1.99.

New Star Soccer

We’ve all dreamed about being a professional footballer, having your own flash car, huge mansion and playing for the top team. The New Star Soccer app is your chance to live that dream. Buy your own car, apartment and even iPhone or games consoles with your earnings. Score the chances that come to you as your teammates set you up, and you can return the favour. Set your popularity with the boss, the team, the fans and even your own girlfriend. If you’re feeling lucky, then why not take a trip to the casino and play blackjack or roulette. This app keeps you entertained for hours as you are living the life of a footballer. Free.

The Football App

The Football App allows you to check fixtures, results, news and latests scores. Free to download, the app is up-to-date with all the latest news and matches. It even allows you to check scores in leagues all around the world. If your team are in a sticky situation or can’t stop winning, you can check the live league tables to find out what position they are in whilst you read the live match reports that update every two minutes. It’s a great app to keep up with the latest soccer news. Free.

Fantasy Premier League

If you’re addicted to the Premier League’s free fantasy game, then download the Fantasy Premier League app. It’s not free, but this app gives you excitement throughout the whole season as the team picked by you earn or lose points each game week by playing in the Premier League. Check what players are in form and what player need dropping from your squad. The app has over 2.5 million players competing for various prizes. Fantasy Premier League is $0.99.

Are there any soccer iPad apps that we’re missing that you recommend? Share them in the comments section below.

In recent years, the Premier League has witnessed some of the harshest managerial sackings in soccer. The majority of dismissals in recent years have been at the expense of a manager who has just gained promotion with his side to the Premier League. Managers have been sacked (some unfairly) for their work in the top flight, whilst others have been replaced for reasons that are still unknown today. It begs the question whether managers who steer their team from the Championship up to the Premier League should be sacked immediately in order to prevent the disruption halfway through the following season when the team is struggling.

With Cardiff City’s promotion to the Premier League now confirmed, it is clear that Malky Mackay has done a fantastic job at the club. Although, it would make sense to replace him for a more experiened manager, someone who is ready for the Premier League with experience and previous occurrence of keeping teams in the top flight. Recently, Nigel Adkins was sacked midway through their first season back in the Premier League. Adkins was within the favorites to be sacked as soon as the 2012-13 season kicked off, as any inexperience top-flight manager would be. In a similar situation at the same sort of time, Brian McDermott was sacked from Reading despite leading them to promotion the previous season. It would prevent disruption within the squad and constant media exaggeration if the unproven manager would be sacked before his attempt to retain Premier League status the following campaign. In the summer, the soccer club could replace the manager and allow time for the squad to be regrouped and prepared for their season in the ‘big time’.

We witnessed Queens Park Rangers sack Neil Warnock in 2012 due to their ‘dangerous league position due to recent form’ according to the club’s owner, Tony Fernandes. The dismissal came just halfway through the season in January, meaning Warnock had little time to adapt to the Premier League. During 2011, Warnock’s QPR side topped the Championship table for the majority of the season, the team breezed to promotion and Warnock fully deserved a chance in the top flight.

However, it could be suggested that Warnock was out of his depth as a manager in the Premier League and should have been sacked as QPR were promoted. Some would say Tony Fernandes should have said thank you very much to Warnock and then replaced him with a more experienced manager, ready for the Premier League.

Roberto Di Matteo was another unfortunate manager to lead a club into the Premier League and face the sack midway through his first season in the top flight. Matteo was replaced by England manager Roy Hodgson at West Brom in 2011, despite leading the club to glory, but Matteo has gone on to bigger and better things – likewise West Brom, who are now considered a top half side in the Premier League.

As much as the suggestion of replacing the manager for a more experienced one would be welcomed in soccer, we must also remember that some managers are able to keep their newly promoted sides in the Premier League. Sam Allardyce has done a fantastic job at West Ham United since being promoted with the Hammers, but Allardyce has previous Premier League experience.

Most of us would love to see Jose Mourinho back in the Premier League again, as well as an assortment of other dream gaffers such as Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp, but here are five more realistic up-and-coming managers from the Football League who I’d love to see coaching in the Premier League.

1. Dougie Freedman

Dougie Freedman has very little managerial experience, but he has certainly learnt a lot since going into management. Freedman, once a Scotland international, was the assistant manager at Crystal Palace from 2010 and was eventually given the caretaker manager role after George Burley was sacked on New Years Day 2011. Many expected Freedman to take over as caretaker manager temporarily until the Palace board appointed a more experienced manager, but he was given the role on a full-time basis with a two and a half year contract. At the time of his appointment, Crystal Palace were in the relegation zone fighting against the drop towards League One. However, Freedman managed to guide the team to safety with just a game to spare. The successful start to management continued as Palace started the following season well, occupying a play-off place at the end of October and enjoying a good run in the Football League Cup, where they knocked out Manchester United at Old Trafford. Freedman’s side finished the season in 17th place but made another strong start to the season after.

However, it was announced that Freedman joined Bolton Wanderers in October 2012, despite his new side being 16th in the Championship (12 places below Crystal Palace). The move seemed to have paid off for the young manager though, as he remained unbeaten during his first full month in charge, something the club had not achieved for two years. Freedman had eventually led Bolton from 20th to 6th place in the Championship, a real achievement by any manager in the business. Despite the lack of experience, Freedman has taken like a duck to water in his first few seasons in management and deserves a chance in the Premier League with Bolton if he manages to gain promotion this season.

2. Nigel Pearson

Despite saving Carlisle from relegation on the final day of the 1998-99 season, Nigel Pearson’s managerial career never really took off until he took the reign at Southampton. Pearson had previous spells at West Brom, England Under-21s and Newcastle United as caretaker manager, but failed to make an impact. Pearson took charge at Southampton when the club were in real financial trouble, they were on the brink of relegation to League One, but on the final day of the season Pearson guided the side to a 3-2 win over Sheffield United despite being 1-0 down. Pearson had become a fan-favourite on the South Coast, but as he was only on a rolling contract Pearson moved on to Leicester City, who were also in League One at the time.

Pearson began his stint at Leicester City incredibly well securing a couple of Manager of the Month awards and taking the team through a 23 match unbeaten run. In April 2009, Pearson’s Leicester side had been confirmed as League One Champions, with the club eventually racking up their highest ever points tally of 96 points as they lost just four of their 46 league games.

Chris Powell then joined the coaching staff alongside Pearson as Leicester continued their surge under the manager, completing a full calender year undefeated. Another Manager of the Month award later and after remaining in the play-off positions for most of the season, Pearson had guided Leicester to the play-offs. The suddenly-successful manager had a fantastic chance to gain back-to-back promotions but his side lost on penalties to Cardiff City.

It was well documented that Pearson’s relationship with the chairman wasn’t the best, and despite the success made at Leicester, Pearson was almost forced out of the club as Paulo Sousa was lined up before Pearson left the club to join Hull City.

Despite Hull City’s financial problems at the time, Pearson managed to guide the side up to 11th in the Championship. The beginning of the 2011-12 season started well again for the manager, but it was clear that Pearson had his eye on the vacant manager role at Leicester City now that the owners had left the club.

During Pearson’s second stint at Leicester, Pearson has managed the side up to a challenging position for promotion to the Premier League, something that he fully deserves following his success at the club.

3. Gus Poyet

Gus Poyet’s first real breakthrough into management came after he left Tottenham Hotspur as assistant manager in 2008, the Uruguayan joined Brighton & Hove Albion a year later and kept the club in League One. After signing a new four-year contract, Poyet started the following season brilliantly and guided Brighton to the top of League One. He eventually steered Brighton 13 points clear at the top after eight straight league victories and then clinched the title in April 2011. Poyet was voted LMA League One Manager of the Year for his achievements in the 2010-11 season – his first full season as a soccer manager.

Things were only getting better for Poyet the following season as he made an impressive start in the Championship, winning the August Manager of the Month award and earning an improved five-year contract. In March 2012, Poyet won the Outstanding Managerial Achievement Award at the Footbal League Awards. He has since guided Brighton up to the play-off positions in the Championship, making them a forceful threat for promotion contenders. Poyet has experience of the Premier League from his assistant manager days, but deserves a shot at the top flight with his own team at Brighton.

4. Chris Powell

Sven-Goran Eriksson tipped Chris Powell to be a “very good manager in the future” in 2010 and that quote looks to be true as Powell already has a league title to his name, along with a Manager of the Year award. When Powell took over at Charlton with a three-year contract, the side were languishing in League One, they are now challenging for an outside chance of promotion through the play-offs in the Championship. Charlton are a relatively big club with respect, but the accomplishment Chris Powell has made is something to admire for any young manager. Powell may be in his early days of management but he has already proved he has what it takes to compete at the highest level and it wouldn’t be a surprise to many if he is managing in the Premier League soon.

5. Eddie Howe

Eddie Howe began his Bournemouth managerial career in 2009 as he was hired permanently following his youth manager role. Howe brought the club out of the relegation zone despite the Cherries having a 17 point deficit. The following season started fantastically for Howe, as Bournemouth won eight out of nine league games – a club record. Due to his success, Championship club Peterborough approached him to replace Darren Ferguson as their manager but Howe rejected.

Despite the club’s transfer embargo remaining in place for the rest of the season, Howe guided Bournemouth to promotion to League One. He was then approached by several clubs but announced he was staying at Bournemouth in January 2011. However, days later, Howe became the new Burnley manager.

Howe seemed to find it difficult at Burnley and said due to some of the players being older than him, he found the job “interesting”. Howe rejoined former club Bournemouth after winning 34 out of his 87 games in charge at Burnley. On his return, Howe managed to pick up the League One Manager of the Month Award after being unbeaten on his return.

The 35-year-old has had a successful second stint back at Bournemouth and looks set to gain promotion with the club into the Championship. A second promotion with the club will be a massive achievement and Howe deserves another move to a big club. A successful season in the Championship could be all he needs to make it into the top flight of English soccer.

Rickie Lambert has scored in all four of England’s top divisions, including 13 goals this season in the Premier League. The Scouser is currently the top English goalscorer in the top flight, and thus is deserving of a call-up to the England national team.

Remarkably, Lambert is ahead of Wayne Rooney, Daniel Sturridge, Danny Welbeck and Jermain Defoe in the Premier League goalscoring chart. Despite Roy Hodgson already naming his World Cup qualifying squad for England’s important upcoming games against San Marino and Montenegro, it’s a shame that Lambert wasn’t handed an opportunity to be in the squad and compete for his first England appearance.

England manager Roy Hodgson was at Lambert’s most recent match when Southampton played Liverpool at St Mary’s Stadium last Saturday. The Saints talisman scored a freekick in the 3-1 win that helped Southampton climb four points away from the relegation zone. Lambert is a Liverpool fan and revealed after the game that he ‘had to remain professional’ after scoring against his favoured club.

Southampton footballers are no strangers to recent England call ups. Hodgson called-up Lambert’s teammate Adam Lallana last September for a World Cup qualifier but the midfielder didn’t feature in the match against Ukraine.

Lambert also scored his 100th goal for Southampton this season, which is an impressive landmark for any player, especially for Lambert who helped the Saints gain back-to-back promotions to the Premier League.

Considering the England team’s poor record with penalties over the years, an added bonus for Lambert being called up would be his penalty-taking prowess. The striker has scored 31 out of 31 penalties for Southampton, which is almost as good as former Saints legend Matthew Le Tissier, who converted 47 out of 48 whilst at the club.

Lambert is no stranger to playing at Wembley either. He scored for Southampton in the Johnstone Paint Trophy final. Plus he played  for Bristol Rovers in the League Two play-off final at England’s national stadium.

When looking at form, there’s no doubt that Lambert should be selected for the England squad and, if he impressed during a future England match, he should possibly considered for the World Cup in 2014. He’s shown enough promise to be given a chance. The only tough question for Hodgson would be who to remove from his England squad to make room for Lambert.