Each year soccer betting handicappers are introduced to at least 100 youthful stars that have graduated from their respective football clubs youth programs and emerged as first string players. Of those 100s of online betting football stars, only a handful emerge as the next big thing in the soccer world. Here are two footballers we believe will be household names in a couple of years.

1. Romelu Lukaku – Dubbed by many football experts as the second coming of Chelsea Blues striker Didier Drogba, Romelu Lukaku at 17 years of age is the best product to come out of Belgium in quite some time. Although he has yet to play a game on the elite level, teams such as Arsenal, Manchester City and Real Madrid have all been rumored to be inquiring about the talented striker’s services.

Lukaku is a scoring machine, as during the 2009/10 season he led the Jupiler Pro League with 15 goals while finishing up high school. What’s more already this season, playing for Belgian squad RSC Anderlecht, Lukaku has 10 goals.

2. Danny Welbeck – This choice for the next big thing is a little bit of a cop out, as Welbeck is already playing elite level football. Originally brought up in the Manchester United youth program, Welbeck has been on loan all season to Premier League rival Sunderland. In 20 games thus far, Welbeck has scored only six goals, but at 20 years of age, that’s not a bad thing.

Although he is out on loan with Sunderland, Welbeck has all the potential in the world to be a cornerstone of the Manchester United Red Devils for years to come. Along with Wayne Rooney, Berbatov and Hernandez, Welbeck is in fine company at Manchester United.

On Monday, many online sportsbooks wasted no time updating their Super Bowl betting odds. With four teams remaining the odds on several teams jumped dramatically as football betting handicappers from around the world were forced to alter their original picks. Here is a look at the updated odds and which team the sportsbooks believe has the best shot at a Super Bowl title.

Similar to the favorites in this Sunday’s NFL Conference Championship games, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers have the best remaining Super Bowl winning odds. The Steelers opened up this week as two to one favorites as they are expected to destroy the New York Jets en route to their third Super Bowl victory in the last six years. Meanwhile, despite clinching the final wild card spot in week 17 of the regular season the Green Bay Packers opened up this week as seven to five favorites to win the biggest game of them all.

However, it should be noted that seven to five odds have become the kiss of death odds for Super Bowl Contenders. For instance, the New England Patriots were seven to five favorites to win the Super Bowl before facing the and losing to the New York Jets in the divisional round of the playoffs.With the Green Bay Packers facing divisional rival the Chicago Bears and their five to one odds, the Packers may become the second victim of seven to five odds resulting in a loss.

Last but certainly not least is the NFL’s youngest remaining team in the playoffs, as the New York Jets have the third best odds of winning the Super Bowl. The Jets opened up as 40 to one favorites a few short weeks ago, and now they are three to one favorites. With upsets over the Colts and Patriots to start the playoffs, is it too much to believe that the Jets may knock off the Pittsburgh Steelers en route to the Super Bowl?

Sports betting fans of the NHL are beginning to take a look at the futures odds for the Stanley Cup finals in six months in June. From the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals historic winter classic on New Year’s Day to the Vancouver Canucks recent surge to the top of the standings, there is much to decide when betting on the Stanley Cup finalists. Here is an updated look at the Stanley Cup odds.

Despite winning the Stanley Cup this past June, the Chicago Blackhawks currently sit at 20 to one to win the Cup for a second year in a row. After
winning the Cup for the first time in almost a half century, the Blackhawks ran into financial difficulty and had to unload the majority of their championship winning squad. As a result, the new look Blackhawks have struggled thus far in the early portion of the season. The goaltending is not as good as it was a season ago, and many speculate if the 20 to one odds are a little generous.

Meanwhile in the Eastern Conference, last year’s runner up to the Blackhawks for Lord Stanley’s mug, the Philadelphia Flyers, are a six to one favorite to once again make it back to the final. The Flyers were able to stay intact after last season and have once again dominated the NHL. Philadelphia only made one move so far this season, and that was to release Stanley Cup hero Michael Leighton, in favor of the duo of Brian Boucher and Sergei Bobrovsky. The latter of the two goalies is young enough that the Flyers could build the team around him for years to come.

Although the Flyers hold a six to one odd of winning the Stanley Cup, they are once again out down by state rival the Pittsburgh Penguins. This year,
the Penguins opened up as a three to one favorite to make it back to the Stanley Cup finals. With Sidney Crosby’s recent 25 game point streak coming to an end, the Penguins appear to be the best team in the entire NHL.