Why do soccer players wear wrist tape?
First thing first, you must have seen some professional soccer players wearing a wrist guard during a game. It is becoming frequent in the world of soccer.
But, why do they wear wrists? Is it just for superstition or something more special?
This is what you are going to find out in this article.
Let’s get started.
Why Do Soccer Players Wear Wrist Tape?
The main reason why soccer players wear wrist tape is to protect and speed up the healing process of their wrist injuries. Some will also wear tape only for superstition.
These are the main reasons for soccer players to wear wrist tape.
Let’s have a more detailed explanation to understand better.
1-Wearing Wrist Tape To Protect & Speed Up Healing
The first and most common reason for players wearing wrist tape is to protect their wrists.
Although players don’t use their arms on the pitch, having a wrist injury can affect their performance on the pitch.
A wrist injury hurts. This means, the players that suffer from it, will be uncomfortable throughout the game.
Plus, players make a lot of movements on the pitch and they can easily fall during contact with another player.
So, not wearing a wrist will make their injury a lot worst.
When we talk about wrist tape, the two players that come to mind are Luiz Suarez and Karim Benzema.
Suarez: If you are familiar with Suarez, you have probably seen him wearing a wrist guard every time he enters the pitch.
But, why does he wear this tape?
Suarez injured his wrist during his time in Liverpool.
After the incident, a couple of years later, he said: “I had a crack in one of the bones of my right hand, and they bandaged it. Since that helped, and my finger felt better, I kept it”
Benzema: If you are familiar with Benzema, you have probably seen him wearing a bandage on his wrist to his hand.
But why does Karim wear a bandage?
It has started a couple of years ago when Benzema fractured his finger in a game against Real Betis.
After that, he had to undertake surgery that would have taken him out of the pitch for several weeks.
But, guess what?
Real Madrid couldn’t make it without him and decided to cancel the surgery process so Benzema could be available to play the next game.
At that time, Solari was the coach and he said that the staff did not think this finger injury was a problem that would prevent him from performing on the pitch.
Only six days after his injury, Benzema was back on the pitch and wearing his bandage.
Since then, he still wears the bandage and won’t enter the pitch without it.
In effect. he hasn’t undertaken his surgery so far. Maybe, he will never do it.
However, some talk about superstition being the cause of the wrist tape.
2-Wearing Wrist Tape For Superstition
Do soccer players really wear wrist tape for superstition?
Well, some players do wear wrist tape for superstition.
Once again, let’s talk about Luiz Suarez.
In effect, Unlike Benzema, Suarez no longer needs to wear a wrist tape. But, he still does wear it.
Here is what he said: “I also wore a red bracelet to protect me against the evil eye, and since the premier league doesn’t allow players to wear accessories, I used the bandage to hide it. In the end, I kept it as a talisman”.
90min.com has explained it very well.
From those words, we clearly see that some players wear bandages only for superstition.
Suarez has then scored several goals during the rest of his career. So, the talisman seems to work.
Should I Tape My Wrist If It Hurts?
Should you tape your wrist if it hurts? Well, although it’s preferable to tape your wrist if it hurts a lot, this shouldn’t stop you from consulting an orthopaedic doctor.
However, if you are just a soccer amateur and don’t have the opportunity to see a doctor, you can simply apply some ice on your wrist every day and get some rest.
Don’t try to act like professionals. If you try to force and get on the pitch, you might make your wrist worst.
So, the ideal thing to do is to rest for a couple of days. Your health is more important.
Why Do Soccer Players Kiss Their Wrists?
Soccer players kiss their wrists as a superstition to bring them luck on the pitch.
Suarez frequently does it and he explained it very well: “I have my compulsive habits. Every time I run onto the pitch, I kiss a tattoo of my wife and daughter”.
Well, the tattoo happens to be located near his wrist. Hence why you usually see him kissing this part of his body.
Final Word
At the end of this article, it should be remembered that soccer players wear wrist tape to speed up the healing process of their wrists.
However, some do it only for superstition.
I hope you have gained value from this article.
Have you ever worn wrist tape during a game or in training? Would you wear it?
Leave your comment below.
Also, if you have any questions, do not hesitate to leave them below.
You can also read: Why do soccer players fake injuries?