Fabio, 1,391 times on the pitch: the Fluminense goalkeeper's all-time appearance record.

When he started making saves at 17 in the Brazilian third division, Fabio Deivson Lopes Maciel, aka Fabio , probably never imagined he would go down in football history. He did, though, not by winning a World Cup or playing for the Brazil national team (U17 World Cup champion but 0 appearances for the senior team, with a Copa America win without ever appearing on the pitch), but by playing more matches than anyone else. At 44, the Fluminense goalkeeper has broken the record for appearances in official matches, reaching 1,391.

Passed the English monument Peter Shilton

An incredible figure that leaves him by a point (but the gap will soon widen) a monument of English football from the '70s, '80s, and '90s, also a goalkeeper, like Peter Shilton . Fabio, who recently played well in a Club World Cup in the USA, reaching the semifinals after, among other things, eliminating Inter, reached the record during Flu's 2-0 victory over América de Cali in the round of 16 of the Copa Sudamericana.

The secret of eternal youth

It was in the United States at the Club World Cup that Fabio also became the goalkeeper with the most clean sheets in football history, dethroning a certain Gigi Buffon. More in the spotlight in Brazil than in Europe, where he has never played, the secret to his longevity remains a mystery, given that he rarely works out, avoids massages, and sleeps three hours a night.

Only Brazilian clubs in career

In addition to his current team, there are two other key clubs in his career: Vasco Da Gama and Cruzeiro, the Belo Horizonte club for which, for a change, he holds the record for appearances.