It’s common knowledge that most footballers are extremely delicate (and extravagantly paid) snowflakes, and none more fragile, it would seem, than Real Madrid’s Marco Asensio.

The attacking midfielder, presumably feeling the pressure of having the ludicrously groomed (and not necessarily in a good way) Christiano Ronaldo as a team mate, recently decided to shave his legs silky smooth, resulting in what he has deemed to be a debilitating injury.

So, what’s he done? Severed his femoral artery while getting a bit carried away around the inner thighs? Slipped over after applying too much lavender-scented post-shave moisturiser and broken his neck? Misjudged the bath temperature and boiled himself alive like some sort of weird, footballing lobster-man?

Nope, he gave himself a sore “pimple”. That’s right, and in true professional footballer tradition, 21-year-old Asensio has blown things way out of proportion.

The Spanish player sat out his team’s Champions League opener against Apoel Nicosia last night because the painful zit stopped him from pulling up his socks. Not our words, the words of Real Madrid manager, Zinedine Zidane.

Strangely, however, it seems that Asensio is not alone in his quest for hairless pins. In fact, according to Braun, 26 per cent of men in the UK say they are unhappy with the amount of leg hair they have, while 31 per cent go as far as to trim, shave or groom theirs.

And they might actually be onto something. Shaving your legs can do wonders for increasing muscle definition and, if you’re not keen on your chunky thighs, it’s worth bearing in mind that getting rid of some of that fur can make them appear much slimmer.

But how can you get the look at home, without running the risk of having to drop out of your next Sunday league match? Parsa Rad, creative director of The Refinery spa in London’s Mayfair, has some top tips.