According to many, this trend was started by Jack Grealish: wearing football socks that reach just above the ankles and wearing small shin guards that barely cover the lower leg.
“It’s just his style,” his former Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood said in 2015. “If he performs the way I think he can, he can dress the way he wants.”
The Manchester City star has been rolling down his socks and wearing children’s shin guards since his breakthrough and it has become a trademark that others have copied. Some, like Grealish, wear small shin guards but keep their socks up instead.
Conor Gallagher is one example. He stood out with his tiny shin guards, smaller than his hand, on his debut for Atletico Madrid. Some modern shin guards are as small as a bank card.
The first question many will ask is: are they dangerous? According to Bob Sangar, a former club doctor for Wycombe Wanderers, the answer is yes.
Players using small shin pads is a trend many believe was started by City’s Jack Grealish (left)
Conor Gallagher stood out because of his tiny shin guards, which were smaller than his hand
Grealish has rolled his socks down and worn children’s shin pads since his breakthrough
‘Some modern football boots have sharp, angular studs that can cut through a sock, skin and muscle,’ Sangar told Mail Sport. ‘I’ve seen some strange injuries.
‘As often as players took a nasty kick or a hard blow to their shin or ankle, they were wearing really poor protection and seemed unaware that such contact injuries could be serious.
‘Last year we played a game against Bristol Rovers and one of our forwards got a cut that required nearly 30 stitches. He had to have plastic surgery. There was literally just a studded plate running down the outside of his leg.’
So why do players take the risk of using smaller shin pads? For some, having rolled up socks may be a fashion statement, while for others, like Grealish, the reason is superstition.
The City man started wearing his socks low after they shrank in the wash during his Villa days. He performed well that season, so he stuck with it. But the main motivation seems to be comfort.
“The answer for most players was, ‘We don’t like them, they’re uncomfortable, we can feel them,'” Sangar explains. “Most elite athletes have a very high level of exteroception, where they are very aware of their body.
‘Little things like a label on a shirt, an outfit that doesn’t fit properly or socks that are tight around the calves can affect how comfortable they feel.’
That theory is supported by Mail Sport columnist Chris Sutton. ‘I used to wear the smallest shin guards I could,’ says Sutton. ‘I wanted to wear the lightest possible ones — and I imagine today’s players would feel the same way. You don’t want a wooden feeling on your shin, you want to feel free when you’re playing.’
But shin guards the size of Gallagher’s could be dangerous for players, according to a number of doctors
Grealish’s former Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood was happy that Grealish was able to play the way he wanted in 2015
Mail Sport’s Chris Sutton (centre) is another player who wore small shin guards during his career
Sangar was so fed up with seeing players wearing inadequate protection that he decided to design his own ‘smart armour’ shin guard.
Together with Krishan Hundal, former innovation director at Marks & Spencer, he designed a product that promises comfort, breathability and protection thanks to a geometric design that absorbs shocks.
The shin guard, which uses a special smart material, hardens instantly when you put it on and is said to last ‘10,000 life-changing impacts’. It is worn by Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo and Scotland international Che Adams, among others.
Shin guards have been mandatory since 1990, but the football rules do not specify what size they should be.
“It’s disappointing that players are allowed to play with the mini shin guards,” Sangar said. “Young players look up to their idols, they see it as an example of what a top athlete should do, and it’s a terrible example.”
Several amateur clubs have decided to ban mini shin guards. Penistone Church in South Yorkshire took the decision after a 15-year-old player suffered two broken legs while wearing the shin guards.
Interestingly, big brands like Nike and adidas don’t sell small shin guards. Sangar believes that most footballers who wear them have received the products as a gift, while the public can easily get a pair online.
‘None of them are sold by mainstream retailers,’ he says. ‘If they were sold by Sports Direct or JD Sport, local trading standards would fine them — they’re selling equipment that’s dangerous.’
Grealish has cited his superstitious nature as a reason for playing with rolled-up socks and mini shin pads
A new shin guard designed by Bob Sangar and Krishan Hundal is worn by Scotland international Che Adams
Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo is another player to wear the new ‘smart armour’ shin guard
Football regulators stress that players are responsible for their own safety when it comes to shin guards. Sangar believes it would take a serious injury before anything changes.
“We are so concerned about the safety of players with concussion, I don’t understand why there is less focus on the risk of serious leg injuries,” he adds. “We wouldn’t send soldiers out onto the battlefield without a bulletproof vest — but football players go out on the field in a jersey, shorts and that’s it.
“This will continue to happen until something really bad happens. Then people will realize they should have taken action sooner.”