When Karim Benzema lifted the Ballon d’Or in 2022, the white tape around his right hand was almost as recognizable as his goals. What began as protection for a broken finger has become one of soccer’s most talked-about accessories.
The most common reason for wrist tape is injury support. Wrapping the hand or wrist can add stability and keep bones in place. The Cleveland Clinic notes that athletic tape can “provide extra support” and helps athletes feel more comfortable while competing through pain.
Benzema is the most famous example. In 2019, he fractured his finger in a match against Real Betis. Instead of having surgery and missing months, he chose to keep playing with a bandage.
“I did have an operation… I’ve hurt [the finger] again, but I don’t have time to stop and have another operation, so I wear the bandage when I’m playing,” Benzema said previously.
Some fans assume wrist tape is used to cover jewelry or bracelets, but the Laws of the Game say otherwise. The Football Association states: “Using tape to cover jewellery is not permitted.”
At the professional level, jewelry must be removed before kickoff.
Even when injuries heal, many players keep the tape as part of their routine. Luis Suárez has explained that his bandage once allowed him to cover a red ribbon for good luck when Premier League rules banned jewelry.
“We are very superstitious players,” Suárez said in a 2017 interview.
Tape has also become part of the game’s style. According to nss sports, wristbands and tape turned into “a silent fashion” in the early 2000s, especially with stars like Neymar, Cristiano Ronaldo and Ronaldo Nazário helping spread the trend. Today, players such as Vinícius Júnior, Rodrygo Goes and Nicolas Jackson often wear tape more for appearance than for protection.
From injuries to superstitions to style, wrist tape has become part of soccer’s visual identity. For Benzema, the bandage was born out of necessity. For others, it is ritual or fashion. But whatever the reason, the simple strip of tape has grown into something larger: an accessory as recognizable on the pitch as the boots and the ball.
