To say it's unusual to see a player with holes in his boots would be a lie, but it's not often those boots belong to a Bundesliga star who makes millions.
Yet that's just what happened at the Westfalenstadion on Saturday, where Bayern Munich were taking on Borussia Dortmund in Der Klassiker.
Bayern 8/1 to beat Anderlecht 2-1
Bayern defender Mats Hummels, who is dealing with a couple of toe injuries, decided the best solution would be to cut a hole in each of his boots to give his appendages a bit of room to breathe.
For his part, the defender says the holes don't change his play at all and they certainly didn't seem to on Saturday as he and Bayern rolled to a 3-1 win.
"That has no impact," he said of the shoes after the match. "Both toes are a bit injured at the moment. It works that way too.
"Maybe that will be a new model being developed."
The win pushed Bayern four points clear at the top of the Bundesliga and six clear of Dortmund, who have fallen on hard times since starting the season brightly.
And Hummels believes it was his side's clinical nature in front of goal that proved to be the difference.
"I think it was a game with many chances on both sides," he said. "BVB could have made their goals as well. Today, the effectiveness played the key role for our win."
Bayern will try to continue their positive run of form after the international break, when they take on Augsburg.