When the Brazilian played for a 1, 391th time on Tuesday, Fabio set the record for the most competitive appearances in men’s football.
The 44-year-old on Saturday surpassed Peter Shilton’s record, and Fabio has now improved with a 2-0 victory over Colombia’s America de Cali at the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro.
Although neither FIFA nor the regional body CONMEBOL have declared Fabio a record, Fluminense and the Brazilian media claim that it is now unique in the history of football.
Following his clean sheet in the Copa Sudamericana last-16 second leg, Fabio, who has spent his entire career in Brazil, said, “Sometimes we don’t realize the significance of breaking this significant achievement.”
The home fans chanted “Fabio is Brazil’s best goalkeeper,” and he was given a plaque to honor his accomplishment.
No one plays as many games without having the same level of professionalism as Renato Gaucho, the coach of Fluminense.
He’ll undoubtedly play for a very long time.
Another player will have to work harder to match his record, he said.
Fabio and Fluminense shared the Copa Libertadores in 2023, and they were a part of the team that reached this summer’s Club World Cup semifinals.
Chelsea, the eventual champion, was the only one who could stop them.
Between 2005 and 2022, he started playing for Cruzeiro, making 976 appearances for the team, and then making 150 for Vasco da Gama.
His 235th appearance for Fluminense was against America de Cali.
In 1997, Fabio began his career, Shilton retiring, best known for being beaten to a cross by Argentina’s Diego Maradona in the infamous “Hand of God” goal in the 1986 World Cup quarterfinal in Mexico.
Shilton lists his total appearances as 1, 387, but Guinness World Records lists 1, 390.
Cristiano Ronaldo, a portugal international forward, has made 1283 appearances for Sporting Lisbon, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus, and now Al Nassr. He is third on the list of all-time appearances.
Source: Aljazeera
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