The Number 12 Shirt Is Missing From Some Squads — Here's Who It Belongs To

Look closely at certain rosters this summer and you'll spot a gap.

<p>Scan a few squad lists at this World Cup and you might notice something odd: here and there, a number simply skipped.</p>

<p>In soccer culture, the number 12 is often symbolically 'worn' by the fans — the twelfth player after the eleven on the pitch. Some teams retire it from squads entirely.</p>

<p>The idea is that a roaring crowd genuinely changes matches: opponents misplace passes, home sides find late legs. Calling supporters the twelfth player makes that force official.</p>

<p>So when a stadium in this tournament erupts and the away team wobbles, remember — one shirt in that ground is being worn by 80,000 people at once.</p>