THE football star protected by a super-injunction over his affair with Big Brother star Imogen Thomas is about to be named.

The exposure in a popular Spanish newspaper is planned to coincide with an important date for the player, causing maximum personal impact to him and allegedly putting him off his game.

Tabloid daily newspaper El Mundo Deportivo will print the name of the Premier League idol who won a gagging order last month to suppress claims he cheated on his wife in a six-month fling with gorgeous Imogen.

But the injunction only prevents British publications from exposing him.

A Spanish media source said: “The newspaper is happy to print his name because they are published abroad.

“They are determined to print it on a date when they know it is vitally important for the footballer to be able to concentrate only on his game.

“The player will not want any distractions at this time so this will have a huge impact on his ability to focus only on football.

“I am sure he will be angry and upset about this but there’s nothing he can do about it.”

A Spanish website has already named the player alongside a sexy picture of Imogen wearing a see-through bra, G-string and black stockings.

Former Big Brother babe Imogen, 28, who has forged a career as a men’s magazine model, recently spoke about her relationship with the star who is described as a “family man”.

She told ITV1’s This Morning recently that she wished she had enough money to get a super-injunction to protect her name when the scandal broke.

Imogen said: “I had no intention of ever speaking about the man, I just wish that my name was protected.

“I didn’t have £50,000 to get an injunction. I feel like I have been thrown to the lions and told to ‘deal with it’.

“I’m coping with a lot of stress and pressure on my head at the moment.” Imogen said she had been subjected to “horrible abuse” on Twitter, being called a “slag” and a “whore”.

The footballer is already said to have admitted to his wife that he is the person with the super-injunction after she confronted him.

He is the latest in a string of celebrities who have taken legal action to gag people they have had affairs with.