Why is the number 13 used for backup goalkeepers in Spain and England?
In football, goalkeepers tend to have their own numbers. The 1xbet.ie/en website can be visited for betting on great players who perform this role. Normally, the starting goalkeeper tends to have the number 1, while backup goalkeepers have the number 12.
This makes perfect sense, after all, if a starting lineup has its players numbered between 1 and 11, it is logical that the substitute goalkeeper will have the first number after the starting lineup. This would be the number 12. The 1xBet website also allows you to wager on footballers that are part of the starting lineup of a football team.
However, there are 3 instances where something strange happens, which are:
- the Spanish national side;
- the Spanish La Liga;
- and the English national side.
In all those cases, the backup goalkeeper normally takes the number 13 instead of the normal and more logical number 12. Why does that happen? Let’s find out.
The rules of the Spanish La Liga
La Liga has some interesting rules. Today you can discover profitable football online betting at 1xBet on this competition. For example, the competition states that first-team players must be numbered between 1 and 25. Yes, there are players with higher numbers, however, they are usually occupied by youngsters who from time to time are called to the first-team.
La Liga also mandates that each squad has 3 goalkeepers in its first team, and according to the same rules, they should be numbered 1, 13 and 25. There is profitable online football betting at 1xBet that can also be made on all goalkeepers from La Liga too.
Because of this rule, it is natural that the Spanish national side decided to follow the same logic, although there is no rule that mandates this numbering in the national squad.
The English case
In England the reasons are historical rather than due to regulations. It is possible to find a live football bet for everyone at 1xBet on all Premier League matches too. Up to the 1980s, players in England had no fixed numbers, and it was normal that the starting line up was numbered between 1 and 11. Also, up to that decade, only 1 substitute was allowed, which was an outfield player, and naturally he was given the number 12.
However, in the early 1990s, with the inception of the Premier League, teams were allowed to add a goalkeeper to the bench. Since teams already had their outfield substitute with the number 12, it was natural that the backup goalkeeper would be given number 13.
Just as in the Spanish case, the national side followed this trend and has assigned the number 13 to their backup goalie. The 1xBet website is available for everyone, and here it is possible to make live football bets on the English national team too.