Why Do Some Soccer Players Cut the Heels Off Their Cleats? ^19%

WIRED - By Jorge Garay - 7/9/2026, 9:00 AM

Appeal to Authority 23.4% - Negativity Bias 16.4% - Post Hoc (False Cause) 15.4%

During this year’s World Cup , one very peculiar image caught the attention of fans and commentators: Portuguese forward Pedro Neto played a match with the back of his cleats cut off, right above the heel. It wasn’t an accident. The modification was intended to relieve pressure on a particularly sensitive area of his foot. Although the... more