SAO PAULO: Fluminense goalkeeper Fabio overtook Englishman Peter Shilton’s longstanding record for the most competitive appearances in men’s football, playing his 1,391st match during his side’s 2-0 victory over America de Cali on Tuesday, his club said.

The 44-year-old Brazilian has enjoyed a professional career spanning 28 years, with senior appearances for Uniao Bandeirante (30 matches), Vasco da Gama (150), Cruzeiro (976) and Fluminense (235).

He made the switch from Cruzeiro to Fluminense in 2022 and has since won the Recopa Sudamericana and Copa Libertadores one each, alongside two Taca Guanabara and two Campeonato Carioca titles.

Fluminense celebrated Fabio’s record with a tribute at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro following their win over America in the second leg of the Copa Sudamericana last 16 tie.

Former England goalkeeper Shilton, who played between 1966 and 1997, was acknowledged as the record holder for the most competitive men’s professional games, though the total is disputed.

Guinness World Records and a number of statistics websites say the tally is 1,390 but Shilton himself, on his X feed, gives it as 1,387.

The discrepancy comes from Guinness including 16 unofficial games that Shilton does not include, while he includes 13 games he played for England’s Under-23s team that normally are not counted.

Published in Dawn, August 21st, 2025