Upon entering the field this Saturday (16) to face Fortaleza, Fluminense goalkeeper Fabio reached a record: at 44, he equaled the mark of 1,390 games that until then only English Peter Shilton Detinha, the largest number of matches played by a player in world football.
Shilton also acted as a goalkeeper and is the athlete who most often defended the English team with 848 appearances. He played between 1966 and 1997, the same year Fábio debuted in the professional for União Bandeirante.
According to a count made by Fluminense, the archer played 30 matches for the extinct Paraná team, 150 for Vasco and, so far, 234 for the carioca tricolor. Defending the Laranjeiras Club, where it has been since January 2022, there were 228 goals conceded – or that is less than one per game – and 92 appearances without having the goal pierced, according to Transfermarkt.
The other 976 matches that complete the account in the curriculum of Fabio were for Cruzeiro, where he stayed for 16 years and is still considered idol.
Although it was summoned a few times to defend the Brazilian National Team, the Mato Grosso nobles never actually entering the field.
Already next Tuesday (19), when Fluminense faces América de Cali for the South American Cup, the goalkeeper is expected to surpass Shilton’s brand and isolate himself as the athlete with the most games in history. He has a contract with Tricolor until December 2026.
After the match against Fortaleza, won by the 2-1 team, Fábio thanked the family and friends who accompanied him during his career. “I hope to be an example not only on the pitch, but it was too, but a servant of God, a guy who tries to be always better,” he told Premiere.
