Why do footballers cut their socks? This is the question that emerged a lot during the 2022 World Cup when fans around the world saw their favorite stars sporting socks with holes in them. 

England fans were already familiar with the names of Jude Bellingham and Bukayo Saka. But the duo’s popularity received a massive boost after their displays during the World Cup. Both are very young and both are supremely talented. 

Bellingham became incredibly popular during his days playing at Borussia Dortmund. And that landed him a move to Real Madrid. And the attacking midfielder is now earning rave reviews for his performances in Spain as well. Meanwhile, Saka has also seen a huge development in the last few years at Arsenal. He was a key part of Mikel Arteta’s side that challenged Manchester City for the Premier League title last season. There has been a lot of talk about Saka being overworked in the 2023 football season. But he is so important for the Gunners that Arteta is featuring him for every game this term. 

Both stars were outstanding during the mega event in Qatar. But unfortunately couldn’t help England win the tournament. The Three Lions were knocked out of the tournament in the quarter-finals at the hands of finalists France. 

As fans, we all noticed their excellent talent. But something else also piqued our attention during football’s showpiece event – the back of their socks had holes cut in them. The holes can make the socks look like Swiss cheese. 

Regular fans of the Premier League may not consider that surprising. This is because they are used to seeing Saka wearing socks with holes. They also know Kyle Walker and Nick Pope to be sporting the socks with the chopped-up hosiery too. 

Why do footballers cut their socks? 

For those who do not know, let’s try to explain why footballers cut their socks before heading out to play on the pitch. The simple answer to the question is footballers cut holes in their socks to lessen their risk of suffering a calf injury.

Players mostly wear socks that are made of nylon, which is a super-tight material that takes time to stretch out. And since footballers wear new pairs every time they go out to play, they will likely be very snug. What the problem it creates is that the players’ circulation can be slightly restricted due to the fabric as they are super-tight material. And that can lead to cramps or muscle tightness. There could be other reasons for cramps too. For example, they can happen due to lack of water. We all know how important water is as our body is mainly made up of water, on average around 60 percent.  

We can say that to avoid fitness issues, football players tend to cut holes in their socks. The long songs can also be very uncomfortable for them, and to feel more at ease and perform to the best of their abilities, they also cut holes. 

We all know footballers are the most competitive human beings. They leave no stone unturned to be the best on the field. So they take care of every tiny little detail to achieve their sporting goals. 

Who knows whether the holes played an important role in Bellingham and Saka avoiding any injury during the 2022 World Cup? Maybe their socks also played a role in helping them perform impressively in Qatar. Cutting holes in their socks might not be that crucial, but still, if there is even a tiny little chance of improvement in their game, footballers will take it.