Medical experts explain why footballers cut holes in their socks
England midfielder Jude Bellingham is among the many top footballers who choose to cut holes in their socks, which is an increasingly popular method of increasing leg comfort during matches.
Many players feel their calf muscles are restricted when wearing tight socks, especially in the second halves of matches. As blood flow increases to the muscles during games, the calves swell due to exertion.
Medical experts have said that overly-tight socks can reduce the oxygen supply to the muscle, which can irritate.
The issue is usually made worse by the players wearing brand-new socks for every match. Such socks are tighter as the fabric has not yet been stretched out.
Bellingham could be seen with holes cut in his socks again during Sunday night’s Euro 2024 final against Spain.
England internationals Kyle Walker, Bukayo Saka, and Conor Gallagher are among the other players who regularly cut holes in their socks before their matches.
Walker said in 2021: “The socks were too tight so it was causing pressure on my calves. It was just to release my calves, or release the tension. I just cut holes in them and all of a sudden I had a few all-right games, and I was like, ‘OK, I’m keeping this now’.”
Another England international, Jack Grealish, takes a different approach to managing the tightness of his socks. Grealish, who was not selected for Euro 2024, has spent his entire career playing with socks that have been rolled down beneath his calves.
“That was just something that I’ve done since I was a kid,” he said in 2022. “I think I was about 14 or 15 at Villa, and the socks used to shrink in the wash; in training, I couldn’t get [them] over my calves because the socks were so small.
“I started wearing them underneath my calves in training and that season I ended up playing well. It was just something that stuck because I’d had such a good season.”
