England is aiming for glory at Euro 2024 tonight in the final against Spain – and fans will notice that several players will be playing with holes in the back of their socks.
On first glance, it seems like an obtuse footballing trend, prevalent across multiple teams at Euro 2024 as well as in the Premier League and leagues around the world – that doesn’t quite make sense.
But it’s not because the likes of Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka and Kyle Walker, who’ve all been spotted with holey socks in the recent past, are starting a new fashion trend.
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Here’s why some footballers have holes in their socks at Euro 2024.
Why do football players have holes in their socks?
Despite the salaries England and Premier League players earn, these aren’t old, holey socks at all.
They’re usually brand new socks, which players are given to wear before each game.
As they’re so new, the fabric’s had no time to stretch out – so they can be quite tight to wear.
Anything too tight or constricting on a player’s legs could be a nuisance, or even potentially cause painful muscle cramping in the calf or the Achilles tendon.
So, to avoid a possible injury, players sometimes whack out the scissors and cut some holes in their socks, loosening them up a bit.
Better safe (in a distracting pair of DIY polka dot socks) than sorry, eh?
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