Why Hull City striker Oli McBurnie wears his socks so low | OneFootball

Oli McBurnie wears his socks very low, and it stems from a non-league loan spell

Nowadays, footballers do all sorts of things with their socks to assist them in their play.

Whether that's cutting holes in the back to avoid getting cramps in the calves towards the end of games, or wearing them incredibly low as a comfort thing.

Jack Grealish is perhaps the most notable example for wearing low socks, which the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Bukayo Saka, among many more, also do.

Hull City striker Oli McBurnie falls into the latter category, as many footballers do in the modern era, but whilst comfort is one of the reasons why he does so, there's also a little bit of superstition around the decision, too.

A superstition that dates back over a decade, when the Scotsman was playing on loan in the then-Conference League with Chester.

Oli McBurnie's sock superstition explained

A lot of footballers don't have much explanation when it comes to why they wear their socks so low down, but in an interview with The Guardian in 2018, in the midst of his 22-goal campaign with Swansea City, McBurnie revealed why he does, and even goes the extra mile, too.

The 29-year-old actually cuts off the "foot" part of his long football sock, instead wearing regular ankle socks with the ankle part of the football sock rolled down with "toddler's" shin pads.

"I know this might sound very pedantic to other people," McBurnie confessed, "but long football socks feel different and are a lot baggier in your boot.

"So I cut the foot bit off, so the rest covers up my ankles, and then roll it over. Effectively, I'm wearing ankle socks with shin pads."

On the shin pads — "They're toddlers — the smallest I can find. We never wear shin pads in training, and then you go into a game and wear them, so that feels alien to me."

The sock attire may raise some eyebrows, but there are other reasons, alongside pure comfort, as to why McBurnie wears them as he does.

It all stems from when he was an 18-year-old playing on loan at Chester during his days at Bradford City. His socks kept coming down, and he decided to make a change, which became permanent at the end of the game.

"I kept pulling them up and was getting sick of it," McBurnie said.

"I think it was the third game I played, Welling away, the pitch was horrific, they were kicking lumps out of us, and I thought 'I'm just going to see if it's comfy with the socks down.'"

"I scored my first professional goal that day, so I've stuck with it ever since."

Finding the breakthrough for the first time in your professional career is a moment that sticks in the mind of every player, and given McBurnie's superstition, he'll always be reminded of it when he goes to cut out his socks before a game.

Oli McBurnie's goalscoring prowess could perhaps stem from a sock superstition

McBurnie is well-regarded as one of the more intimidating, lethal strikers in the Championship, and has been for the several years he's played at the level for the likes of Barnsley, Swansea, Sheffield United and now, Hull.

However, would he have had the same reputation if he hadn't modified his dress code to suit him better?

Comfort might be key for some players, and for McBurnie, the composure he plays with could be a direct result of how he has his socks when he plays.

Or perhaps not, as for some, that goalscoring knack is always there, and McBurnie has been able to exhibit that in many different environments.

The Tigers have been missing McBurnie and his low socks for over a month now, and they'll be looking forward to continuing his fine start both in front of goal and in terms of setting them up sooner rather than later.