Fluminense goalkeeper Fábio Deivson Lopes Maciel 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 Fábio has now gone one better following a 2-0 win over Colombia's América de Cali at the Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro.
Fluminense and Brazilian media say Fábio now stands alone in football history, although neither FIFA nor regional body CONMEBOL has declared it a record.
"Sometimes we don't realise the importance of such a significant achievement as breaking this record, which has stood for many years," Fábio, 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, "Fábio 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 Gaúcho. "He'll undoubtedly continue to play for a long time. It will be difficult for another player to surpass his record."
Fábio 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 União Bandeirante and another 150 games for Vasco da Gama.
His record outing against América de Cali was his 235th match for Fluminense.
Fábio 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.
– TIMES/AFP
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