soccer

Raúl Jiménez survived a major traumatic brain injury and skull fracture. At the World Cup, he wore a strip of padded head protection described in media coverage as "medically approved" and "medically mandated"; then continued playing without it. Judith McMinn asks what football is teaching millions of players and parents about what head protection means in sport.

Robert Sanchez wearing a rugby headguard in the FA Cup final shows how football still confuses permitted equipment, scalp protection and real brain protection.

The FA has denied a proven link between heading, repeated head impacts and long-term brain damage. But “no proof” is not a player welfare strategy. The science now points to cumulative exposure, rotational forces and prevention.

Does soccer headgear prevent concussion? Discover what the science actually shows, why rotational forces drive brain injury, and how football headgear differs.