Fluminense says goalkeeper Fabio has broken Peter Shilton's record for most soccer games played
Fluminense said the 44-year-old Fabio pulled ahead of Shilton in the team's 2-0 win over Colombian club America in the round of 16 of the Copa Libertadores, South America's top club competition. Fluminense advanced 4-1 on aggregate.
Fabio was honored by his club after the match at Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro with a commemorative plaque and an image marking the record. Fluminense's goalkeeper wore a patch mentioning the milestone.
South America's soccer governing body CONMEBOL also congratulated him on reaching 1,391 career appearances.
'It is a tremendous satisfaction to reach this record wearing the Fluminense jersey, which opened the doors for me,' Fabio said. 'Now it's time to keep playing and strive for new achievements with every game.'
There is no single official soccer body that tracks players' appearances across domestic and international competitions, which makes record-keeping complicated and subject to disputes about what counts as a competitive match.
However, Shilton was widely seen as the record-holder for most competitive games played. Guinness World Records had him at 1,390 appearances in all competitions, though Shilton's personal count is 1,387. The discrepancy comes down to which matches should count as official senior appearances.
Fabio began his career in the late 1990s, playing mostly with Brazilian club Cruzeiro. He has 976 appearances with Cruzeiro, 235 with Fluminense, 150 with Vasco da Gama and 30 with Uniao Bandeirante.
Fabio helped lead Fluminense, which he joined in 2022, to the semifinals of the Club World Cup earlier this year. He was a key player in the team's maiden Copa Libertadores title in 2023.
Fabio played for Brazil's youth teams but never for the country's senior squad.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
São Paulo And Vélez Reach The Copa Libertadores Quarter Finals
On Tuesday night São Paulo And Vélez Sarsfield joined Racing Club in qualifying for the quarter finals of the 2025 Copa Libertadores. Vélez Defeats Fortaleza Vélez Sarsfield will take on their Buenos Aires neighbours Racing in the quarter finals of the tournament after defeating Fortaleza of Brazil in the round of 16. Vélez, who won an Argentinian league title in 2024, won just four of the first 16 league games this season. That poor domestic form hasn't halted continental performance though. Vélez won the Copa Libertadores for the first and only time in 1994 but they intend to double that trophy haul this year. The Argentinian club drew the first leg 0-0 in Brazil and enjoyed a 2-0 win at home in the second leg on Tuesday night. Fortaleza, in truth, played badly on the night. The visiting team didn't create any clear-cut chances in the game and Vélez raced into a 2-0 lead within 30 minutes. As the rain poured down on Buenos Aires, Maher Carrizo gave the hosts the lead with a header after just seven minutes of the match. 20 minutes later Fortaleza's famous striker Deyverson gifted the ball to Vélez in the midfield and Tomás Galván doubled the lead within seconds. There was no coming back from an uninspiring Fortaleza outfit who currently sits way down in 19th position in the Brazilian Série A table. At least the club can now focus on rescuing what has been a dismal league campaign to date. São Paulo Keeps Libertadores Dream Alive São Paulo, by the clubs own very high standards, have been unsuccessful in continental competition recently. Between 1992 and 2005 the club won three Copa Libertadores titles and three intercontinental titles, but since then 'SPFC' has struggled to win silverware. The 2023 Copa do Brasil title has helped return confidence to the epic Morumbis stadium, which always bursts into life on Copa Libertadores nights. On Tuesday São Paulo welcomed Colombian side Atlético Nacional for the second leg of their encounter, after a cagey 0-0 draw in the opening leg in Medellín. Like the Racing Club and Peñarol encounter on the same night, this game was full of action and boasted an atmosphere fit to host a Copa Libertadores final, never mind round of 16 clash. Within the first ten minutes of the game both sides might have scored, but it was hosts São Paulo that took the lead with a header at the back post. The home supporters might have expected an easier night from then on, but Atlético Nacional, who has won two Copa Libertadores titles in its history, fought back until it found a second half equaliser. Penalty Kicks Separated The Teams Atlético Nacional were fantastic on the night, playing expansive football away from home. The Colombian side actually managed more expected goals than São Paulo (1.65 to 1.53) but home goalkeeper Rafael and centre-back Alan Franco had big defensive moments to remember. The former Glasgow Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos scored the Atlético Nacional goal from the penalty spot, and it would be penalty kicks that would decide the match after the two teams remained deadlocked during the game. The shoot-out was incredibly tense, but the home side won by four goals to three when the final Nacional kick-taker Marino Hinestroza failed to convert. The miss sparked scenes of jubilation in the São Paulo stadium and the hosts can now look forward to a tie against the winners of Botafogo or LDU Quito in the next round.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Football History Rewritten: Legendary Shilton Overtaken After Nearly 3 Decades
Veteran keeper surpasses England legend after playing 1,392 professional games Football History Rewritten: Legendary Shilton Overtaken After Nearly 3 Decades The legendary record of Peter Shilton, England's most famous goalkeeper has finally fallen after 28 years. Shilton who starred for 3 Lions between the 1970s & 1990s and featured in 3 World cups , had set the all time record with 1391 professional appearances. Fabio equals the mark Brazilian goalkeeper Fabio Deivson matched Shilton's record last Saturday when he featured for Fluminense in their 2 - 1 league win over Fortaleza. That game marked his 1391st official match equalling the milestone Shilton achieved back in 1997 with his final appearance for Leyton Orient. Breaking new ground Just days later Fabio wrote history by surpassing the Englishman. He played his 1392nd career game in the Copa sudamericana Round of 16 second leg becoming the most capped professional player in football history. A journey that began in 1997 Remarkably Fabio's career started in 1997 the same year Shilton set his record. He began with Uniao Bandeirante before spells with Vasco da Gama (2000-2004) and legendary stint at Cruzeiro (2005 - 2021) where he played 976 match. Since 2022 he's added 235 appearances with Fluminense.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Norway soccer federation says it will donate profits from Israel game to humanitarian work in Gaza
GENEVA (AP) — Norway's soccer federation says it 'cannot remain indifferent' to humanitarian suffering in Gaza and will donate any profits from an upcoming World Cup qualifying game against Israel to aid work there. Norway plays Israel in Oslo on Oct. 11. 'Neither we nor other organizations can remain indifferent to the humanitarian suffering and disproportionate attacks that the civilian population in Gaza has been subjected to for a long time,' Norwegian Football Federation President Lise Klaveness said in a statement Tuesday. 'We want to donate the proceeds to a humanitarian organization that saves lives in Gaza every day and provides active emergency aid on the ground,' she said. It wasn't immediately clear how much the Norwegian federation expected to earn through ticket sales for the match, which begin next week. The Israeli soccer federation responded to the move on Wednesday by urging its Norwegian counterpart also to condemn the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks and hostage-taking by Hamas. In a statement first published by British daily The Telegraph, the Israeli federation also called on the Norwegians to 'make sure that the money is not transferred to terrorist organizations or to whale hunting,' referring to an issue Norway has faced global criticism for. The Norwegian federation said it is working with UEFA and local police on security arrangements for the Oct. 11 game. Extra security is expected to limit capacity by up to 3,000 tickets, the federation said. Ullevaal Stadium typically has crowds of 26,000 for national-team games. Israel has been unable to host games in international competitions for security reasons since October 2023. It staged its 'home' qualifying game against Norway in Hungary. Norway won that game 4-2 in March. Norway currently tops the five-nation qualifying group ahead of Israel. ___ AP soccer:
