TruSox: Inside the secret British sports brand worn by Gareth Bale, Owen Farrell and Miguel Cabrera – Telegraph.co.uk

“By November 2011, I felt like we had found a product that was ready,” he says. Through his contacts with Crystal Palace, Cherneski was able to send a pair to former Palace player Victor Moses. Within days he got a text back, asking for more.

At the beginning of 2012, he flew to the UK and started to drive up and down the country, arranging meetings with players and giving his TruSox away to any athlete who wanted them.

By the end of that year, a “handful” of Premier League players had started wearing them in matches. Around 2,800 pairs were sold that year, for around $25 (£17) each.

In 2013, though, word spread and around 10pc of Premier League players were wearing them. Now retailers were convinced, and started to stock the sock. Sales went up to around $500,000 (£340,000) as more than 20,000 pairs were sold, despite Cherneski having “zero” cash for marketing.

Fast-forward to the end of 2014 and sales had climbed to $1.8m (£1.2m), thanks in large part to about 100 players wearing TruSox at the World Cup in Brazil.

Last year, with over 20pc of Premier League players having become fans, sales reached $3.2m (£2.2m), Cherneski says.