Former England goalkeeper Peter Shilton has congratulated Fluminense shot stopper Fabio for breaking his record for most competitive appearances in men’s football, Afrosport reports.
The 44-year-old Brazilian set the record on Tuesday when he played the 1,391st game of his career in the 2-0 win over Colombia’s America de Cali in the Copa Sudamericana round of 16 second leg at the Maracana.
Fabio was celebrated after the match with fans chanting his name as the best goalkeeper in Brazil, while he was presented with a plaque to commemorate the achievement.
Shelton, who earned 125 caps for England, took to X to celebrate Fabio, calling his achievement “brilliant”.
“Huge congratulations to Fabio Deivson Lopes Maciel for beating my Guinness World Record I was proud to hold for over 28 years, for the most competitive matches in the history of football,” he said.
“Keeping the record within the keeper’s union brilliant achievement Fabio.”
Huge congratulations to Fabio Deivson Lopes Maciel for beating my @GWR a record I was proud to hold for over 28 years for the most competitive matches in the history of football ⚽️ keeping the record within the keepers union BRILLIANT achievement Fabio #proud @FIFAcom @FA pic.twitter.com/j9E6YT7WB0
— Peter Shilton (@Peter_Shilton) August 20, 2025
Fabio, after setting the new record on Tuesday, said: “Sometimes we don’t realise the importance of such a significant achievement as breaking this record, which has stood for many years.”
While Fluminense head coach Renato Gaucho said: “No one plays so many matches without a level of professionalism like his. He’ll undoubtedly continue to play for a long time. It will be difficult for another player to surpass his record.”
Fabio’s career began in 1997 when Shilton retired and played 30 times for Uniao Bandeirante and another 150 games for Vasco da Gama before going on to make 976 appearances for Cruzeiro between 2005 and 2022.
He has played 235 times for Fluminense and was part of the team that won the Copa Libertadores in 2023 and reached the semi-finals of the Club World Cup in the United States this summer.
