Manchester City star Jack Grealish has opened up about his famously massive calf muscles and why he decides to wear his socks so low on his legs during games
Jack Grealish has opened up about his famously massive calf muscles
Man City star Jack Grealish has revealed the secret behind his massive calves and why he wears his socks so low.
The 27-year-old has built a distinctive look for himself over the last couple of years, but unlike his dashing, slicked-back undercut, there isn’t a lot he can do about his bulging leg muscles – which he claims are 100% genetic.
“I actually don’t do anything. It’s just something that runs in the family,” Grealish told the Daily Mail. “My grandad always had big calves when he used to play football.
“But I don’t do any calf exercises or calf routines in the gym or anything. Honestly, it’s just something that I’ve had since I was young.”
As many suspected, Grealish’s rippling calves forced him to wear his socks low, but the £100m Manchester City star insists he only keeps it up for superstitious reasons.
Jack Grealish’s calves have become iconic
“I think I was about 14 or 15 and we were sponsored by Macron at Aston Villa and the socks used to shrink in the wash,” he explained.
“In training I couldn’t get them over my calves because the socks were so small. So I started wearing them below my calves in training.
Grealish’s bulging calves are genetic, apparently!
“That season I ended up playing really well. So then I started wearing my socks below my calves in games. It was just something that stuck because I’d had such a good season.”
Does having big calves help in football?
Usually, footballers have big leg muscles due to the nature of the sport.
Strong calves, quads and hamstrings are essential to be able to get the best out of your body when running across the pitch.
Particularly, calf muscles are the most important, no matter the position of the player, as they drastically improve the game.
The durability of the legs, quick change of direction, and jumping are some of the benefits that footballers with strong calves get to enjoy.
Not only that, you would often see players like Grealish, stretching their calves before a game, which is usually the area where a player could feel tiredness.
