A Premier League star left fans astonished as he wore the ‘world’s smallest shin pads’ that looked more like ‘nicotine patches’ than effective protective gear
A Premier League star left fans baffled as he wore the ‘world’s smallest shin pads’.
There is an increasingly worrying trend among footballers at all levels about the suitability of their shin pads. Over recent years the size of players’ protective gear has gotten smaller and has now become a laughing stock among eagle-eyed supporters.
The latest farce saw Burnley’s Marcus Edwards place a sticky ‘shin pad’ in the middle of his shin – smaller than the size of the palm of his hand. The flying winger seemingly had zero protection from the bottom of his ankle to the middle of his shin, but that’s assuming his squashie-looking shin gear would actually do anything.
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Fans took to social media to react to the viral picture, with one comparing Edwards’ shin pads to a “nicotine patch”. A second quipped: “He’d have more protection playing wearing a condom.”
A third asked: “What is genuinely stopping referees from telling these players to put some proper shin pads on? Surely there’s a duty of care at some point ??” Another echoed: “Shouldn’t be allowed. They offer no protection at all.”
Another said: “This rubbish should be banned, no wonder players get injured. 4th officials should be checking for shin pads and these are not shin pads.” A sixth wrote: “Such a bad look for game, kids see this and copy, no protection.”
While fans have argued that referees and fourth officials should restrict players from entering the field of play with insufficient shin pads, there is no regulation size they must be.
The International Football Association Board (Ifab), responsible for the law, states in Law 4.2 that shin pads must:
- Be made of a suitable material
- Be of an appropriate size to provide reasonable protection and be covered by the socks
- And players are responsible for the size and suitability of their shin pads
The law doesn’t define what an ‘appropriate’ shin pad size is, leading to players ditching safety for comfort.
A smaller shin pad, especially for attacking players, avoids restrictions around the lower leg. The old school straps can squeeze on the calf while what had become more common netting that pads could be slid into, also constricts the calf.
Footballers’ comfort obsession with their calves is the reason behind the also incredibly unpopular Jack Grealish-style low socks and the unsightly socks cut in the back.