Deborah Akinyosoye
Fluminense goalkeeper Fabio on Tuesday claimed the record for most competitive appearances in men’s football when the Brazilian played for a 1,391st time.
The 44-year-old on Saturday equalled the landmark held by former England stopper Peter Shilton and Fabio has now gone one better following a 2-0 win over Colombia’s America de Cali at the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro.
Fluminense and Brazilian media say Fabio now stands alone in football history, although neither FIFA nor regional body CONMEBOL has declared it a record.
“Sometimes we don’t realize the importance of such a significant achievement as breaking this record, which has stood for many years,” Fabio, who has spent his entire career in Brazil, said following his clean sheet in the Copa Sudamericana last 16 second leg.
The home fans chanted, “Fabio is the best goalkeeper in Brazil,” and he received a commemorative plaque to mark the achievement.
“No one plays so many matches without a level of professionalism like his,” said Fluminense coach Renato Gaucho.
“He’ll undoubtedly continue to play for a long time.
“It will be difficult for another player to surpass his record.”
Fabio won the Copa Libertadores with Fluminense in 2023 and was part of the side that reached the semi-finals of the Club World Cup in the United States this summer.
He made 976 appearances for Cruzeiro between 2005 and 2022, after playing 30 times for Uniao Bandeirante and another 150 games for Vasco da Gama.
His record outing against America de Cali was his 235th match for Fluminense.
Fabio began his career in 1997, the year that Shilton retired.
The Englishman considers his total number of appearances to be 1,387, but Guinness World Records puts the number at 1,390.