<\/p>
We\u2019ve reached the business end of the 2022 World Cup, with just eight teams left and a little more than a week to go until one of them gets their hands on that famous trophy.<\/p>\n
This tournament has delivered a showcase of the best that men\u2019s football has to offer from around the globe \u2013 with representatives of six continents reaching the knockout stages and teams from Europe, South America, and Africa still battling for the game\u2019s biggest prize.<\/p>\n
One of the quirks you may have noticed over the past few weeks is the number of players with large holes in the back of their socks.<\/p>\n
You\u2019re certainly not the only one left a little mystified by this trend and you\u2019ve come to the right place to find the method behind the madness.<\/p>\n
RadioTimes.com<\/a> digs down into the logic behind football players cutting holes in their socks at the World Cup.<\/p>\n For more World Cup features check out: World Cup 2022 TV schedule<\/a> |\u00a0World Cup 2022 kits ranked<\/a> | World Cup 2022 stadiums<\/a>\u00a0| Best players at the World Cup<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Players in the modern era will do anything to get a competitive advantage but cutting holes in their socks is all about what they can prevent rather than what they gain.<\/p>\n It is done ahead of games by players to relieve pressure on their calf muscles. Players will usually wear a new pair of socks for every match and the material can be restrictive, particularly for those with sizeable calves, so some cut holes in the back to allow for better circulation and reduce the risk of getting cramp.<\/p>\n Many of the world\u2019s top players appear to swear by it but there\u2019s probably no need to get the scissors out before your midweek 5-a-side or weekend kickabout \u2013 as seriously as you may take it.<\/p> Check out our World Cup<\/a> hub for all the latest from Qatar 2022, including match previews, predictions and analysis.<\/strong><\/p>\n If you\u2019re looking for something else to watch, check out our\u00a0<\/b>TV Guide<\/b><\/a> or visit our <\/b>Sport<\/b><\/a> hub.<\/b><\/p>\n The latest issue of Radio Times magazine is released on sale now \u2013 subscribe now<\/a>. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times View From My Sofa podcast<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n By Ned Holmes Published: Thursday, 08 December 2022 at 12:00 am We\u2019ve reached the business end of the 2022 World Cup, with just eight teams left and a little more than a week to go until one of them gets their hands on that famous trophy. This tournament has delivered a showcase of the best […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":26840,"template":"","categories":[1,7,5],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/12\/why-do-football-players-cut-holes-in-their-socks-at-the-world-cup-2022.jpg",620,413,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/12\/why-do-football-players-cut-holes-in-their-socks-at-the-world-cup-2022-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/12\/why-do-football-players-cut-holes-in-their-socks-at-the-world-cup-2022-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/12\/why-do-football-players-cut-holes-in-their-socks-at-the-world-cup-2022.jpg",620,413,false],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/12\/why-do-football-players-cut-holes-in-their-socks-at-the-world-cup-2022.jpg",620,413,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/12\/why-do-football-players-cut-holes-in-their-socks-at-the-world-cup-2022.jpg",620,413,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/12\/why-do-football-players-cut-holes-in-their-socks-at-the-world-cup-2022.jpg",620,413,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Ned Holmes Published: Thursday, 08 December 2022 at 12:00 am We\u2019ve reached the business end of the 2022 World Cup, with just eight teams left and a little more than a week to go until one of them gets their hands on that famous trophy. This tournament has delivered a showcase of the best…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/26839"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26840"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26839"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26839"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Why do football players cut holes in their socks?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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