How Jack Grealish Has Single-Handedly Ruined Football

Jack Grealish and His Tiny Shinpads - Are Any Use?

Jack Grealish - everyone’s favourite agent of chaos, capable of going on all-night benders the night before a game and still ripping everyone to shreds the next day.

His trademark look of slicked-back hair, a headband keeping it out of his face, low socks, and gigantic calves has become one of the Premier League’s most iconic looks, along with Henry and his gloves, Paul Pogba and his many haircuts, and Eric Cantona’s rebelliously turned-up collar.

However, if we take a closer look at the calf region - any ladies reading, try not to get too excited - we will see a glaring oversight in the ensemble: his hilariously miniature shinpads.

Exhibit A: Grealish's shinpads pic.twitter.com/iNWoOU9ODx

— Jimmy Rotheram (@musicedu4all.bsky.social) (@MusicEdu4all) May 23, 2023

His tiny shin guards were first truly noticed in 2017, when the left-winger was still playing for Aston Villa, trying to drag them back into the top flight out of the Championship. At first it started with the low socks - fans asked, “Why does he wear them so low?”

Upon closer inspection, fans could see the tips of the mini pads sticking out the top of the socks, while on some occasions his socks were so low, and the presence of shin pads so unclear, that many wondered at times if he was wearing any at all.

What has become clear since is that Grealish, whether knowingly or inadvertently, has inspired a trend amongst countless young footballers, and the trend is getting more and more ridiculous.

The Jack Grealish Effect

The trend all started when various footballing brands decided that to reduce the hassle players go through before playing, they would remove the elastic and Velcro straps and sleeves, replacing them with a wraparound, footless sock that holds a slide-in shinpad in place.

Jack Grealish was one of the first to perform in these, and people quickly began to take notice of the markedly smaller shinpads and the lack of fabric holding them in place.

It was the Englishman who partially influenced me into getting some of these, and when I did, I thought I was the bee's knees – it was refreshing to play the beautiful game without feeling the thick, protective ankle sock that old models used to feature, meaning a truer feel of the ball, and a genuine feeling of lightness and quickness on your feet.

However, things quickly evolved, and over time, the shinguards shrank. Then they shrank again - suddenly, up-and-coming players wanting to be up with the times and involved with the newest technology were modelling pads no taller than your average iPhone, and very little wider, with Jack Grealish the leader of the revolution.

Over the years, Grealish himself, along with many young talents, has constantly shifted to smaller and smaller shinpads, and in recent days, a picture of the Brighton squad from the 2024/25 season has got people talking.

The image shows James Milner, the man with the longest Premier League career of any active player, celebrating with his teammates, and while they may all be wearing the same kit, there is something drastically different about their attire.

Shin Pads? What Shin Pads?

As expected, the photo depicts that Milner is an old-school player - 23 years after first making his Premier League debut, the former Aston Villa, Man City and Liverpool man still sports the old style of shin pad, the one held to your lower leg by Velcro and an ankle protection sock.

90’s Shin Pads. RT if you had a pair like these? pic.twitter.com/mI9qyqIpi1

— 90’s Football Memories (@90sFootballUK1) May 17, 2023

Alongside him, two much younger players sit as the two case studies for this article. Jack Hinshelwood is on the left, and number 51 is on the right, who, despite extensive researching, shall remain nameless, as I simply cannot find a name.

Now, take a close look at Hinshelwood’s socks - if you look carefully enough, perhaps equipped with a magnifying glass, you can see the faintest bulges midway up his lower leg - bulges no bigger than a matchbox.

It's easy to spot which era a player is from by the size of his shinpads 😂 pic.twitter.com/9yBeliqRJZ

— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) December 18, 2025

If you look at the unnamed player on the right, then we are back to the Jack Grealish conundrum - his socks are so low, and the absence of shin pads seemingly so obvious, that many would be forgiven for thinking that he had somehow contrived to leave them in the changing room.

It shouldn’t need saying that to play football without shinpads is against the rules of the game, and undoubtedly, number 51 is wearing them, but they must be so minute that they have been hidden under the many folds in his socks.

If either of them gets a kick in the shin or a stud raked down the front of their leg, their guards will do little, if anything, to protect them from damage. Milner, on the other hand, will be absolutely fine.

📝 | Club Statement

Buckland Athletic FC have taken the decision to ban micro/mini shin pads across all our teams, and therefore this applies to all players associated with the club.

The club will be taking a zero tolerance approach on this matter 🤝#UpTheBucks 🦌 pic.twitter.com/NAdpn7L3yx

— Buckland Athletic (@OfficalBAFC) November 24, 2025

It speaks volumes that as of last year, an increasing number of amateur clubs across the UK began to ban these so-called 'micro-shin pads', for fear that eventually, someone would suffer a serious injury as a direct cause of the lack of protection. Is there something in this?

Is It Worth Taking the Risk?

Playing with smaller shin pads opens you up to a higher risk of picking up a surface injury - studs-up challenges occur all the time, even at the highest level, and regardless of shin pads, the tackle will inevitably hurt.

However, with Milner’s model, the larger surface area provides the targeted player with a better chance of either deflecting the challenge or reducing the damage caused by it. With Hinshelwood’s model, the tackle needs to be precisely on the shinpad midway up his leg - it would have to be a wild tackle to hit that area in the first place, and when one inevitably crashes into him lower down, he is guaranteed to be in a world of pain.

I’m not saying that making larger shin pads mandatory will have any significant effect on the number of injuries teams suffer - the tiny shields have no bearing on muscle strains, ligament or tendon tears, or foot injuries, which for the most part are what keep players out for extended periods of time.

However, players are simply encouraging that extra little bit of risk. Remember that opponent who wore those bright orange boots on the muddiest Sunday League pitch of all time all those years ago? Yeah, of course your teammates went in a little extra hard on him. Now, the same scenario is happening with the shinguards - you see a player wearing a mini pad, and your instincts tell you you should let him know you’re there, leave a mark on him, that kind of thing.

The world's smallest shinpads. pic.twitter.com/L8eAbhyp9Z

— Kit Crimes ⚽️ (@KitCrimes) December 12, 2022

It goes without saying that, of course, Grealish sports these tiny, barely protective shields himself, and over the years, from Aston Villa to Man City, he has been one of the Premier League’s most fouled players. Coincidence? I think not.

Of course, Jack Grealish has not single-handedly ruined football, but he has certainly stretched the rules around health and safety to their very breaking point with his brave football fashion statement.

At some point, we will see an incident where the absence of a proper shin pad will result in a serious injury, sparking this very discussion. Until then, it is a waiting game. One thing is certain - I will be watching the challenges fly in on Hinshelwood and Grealish with renewed interest. Do those shin pads actually do anything? I doubt it.

Once upon a time there was a magical invention... called shinpads https://t.co/UvLBTLsJrr

— Manchestericonic (@manchestriconic) May 4, 2024