Fluminese goalkeeper Fabio Deivson Lopes Maciel has broken Peter Shilton’s record of having the most competitive appearances in the history of football, according to his club.
The Brazilian goalkeeper, 44, who began his career some 28 years ago, made his 1,391st professional appearance on Wednesday in the last 16 of the Copa Sudamericana against America de Cali.
He is believed to have eclipsed the great England goalkeeper’s appearance record last season, with Shilton slipping his gloves on a whopping 1,374 times, 125 of those for England.
Fabio has played for just five clubs – all in Brazil – during his incredibly long career, beginning his time as a professional with Uniao Bandeirante, then Atletico Paranese, Vasco da Game, Cruzeiro and Fluminese.
He made a staggering 976 appearances for Cruzeiro during a 17-year stint at the Belo Horizonte-based club before joining Fluminese in 2022.
The 44-year-old has turned out 235 times for the Brazilian giants, making six appearances at this summer’s Club World Cup on his side’s journey to the semi-finals, where they were knocked by eventual winners Chelsea.
Fluminese goalkeeper Fabio Deivson Lopes Maciel has the most appearances in the history of football, according to his club
The 44-year-old shot-stopper has moved past England great Peter Shilton, who previously held the record
The American tournament saw Fabio make history once again as he passed Gianluigi Buffon’s clean sheet record of 506.
Fabio celebrated on the pitch with his family following his record-breaking appearance this week while wearing a shirt celebrating the stunning milestone.
‘I have to thank everyone who is part of my life – my father, my mother, my sisters, my friends, my wife – I try to be a good human being,’ he said.
‘The important thing is to help my team-mates. I am grateful, but without God nothing would be possible.
‘These are difficult games and we are facing very strong teams. We are always striving to achieve our goals, which are the titles.’
Having played 5,850 minutes of football in the year beginning July 2024 – more than any keeper has ever played in a single year – Fabio could yet increase the distance between himself and Shilton at the top of the appearances leaderboard.
He signed a contract earlier this summer keeping him at Fluminese until December 2026, at which point he will be 46, meaning the keeper has plenty of time to add to his tally.
Fabio also sits above Cristiano Ronaldo (1283 minutes), Paul Bastock (1284 minutes) and Rogerio Ceni (1226) in terms of appearances, despite never donning the famous yellow of Brazil.
The Brazilian goalkeeper, 44, who began his career some 28 years ago, made his 1,391st professional appearance on Wednesday
He made six appearances at this summer’s Club World Cup during Fluminese’s run to the semi-finals
Cristiano Ronaldo has the third most competitive appearances in the history of football
Shilton, whose record has of course now been broken, previously spoke about his longevity in the game, saying it’s one of his greatest sources of pride.
Speaking to The Guardian in 2004, the Nottingham Forest legend said: ‘After 30 years in the game there are a few things I’m really proud of.
‘The three that really matter are the most competitive games in professional football because it shows my longevity.
‘Winning 125 caps for England sits alongside it and the other is the joint record of least World Cup goals conceded with Fabien Barthez. That obviously would have been the record if it hadn’t been for a certain Mr, Maradona.’
Shilton played for Coventry, West Ham, Plymouth, Stoke, Derby, Southampton, Leicester and Forest during his career, which ended in 1997.
