England legend Peter Shilton finally loses staggering world record held for almost 30 years

Evergreen former England goalkeeper Peter Shilton played well into his 40s en route to a world record but that record has since been taken by Brazilian goalkeeper Fabio

Nearly 30 years after retiring from football, former England goalkeeper Peter Shilton has finally lost his world record for the most appearances in the men’s game. Shilton’s tally is itself disputed, with the 75-year-old believing he is three shy of the 1,390 total in the Gunness Book of World Records, but the higher figure has now also been surpassed.

The new record-holder is Fabio, also a goalkeeper. Perhaps even more impressively, the Brazilian has achieved the feat without making a single appearance for his country’s senior international side.

“I have nothing but reasons to thank God, who allowed me to experience this special moment, to reach this gigantic milestone,” Fabio, 44, said after playing his 1,391st match in the Fluminense side which took on America de Cali on Tuesday. “It was incredibly moving to experience it, especially having my family by my side during the tributes.

“It’s a huge satisfaction to reach this record wearing the Fluminense jersey, which opened doors for me. Now it’s time to keep playing and strive for new achievements with each game,”

Fabio began his career as a teenager in the 90s, playing for third tier Uniao Banderante, before making his first appearance in Brazil’s Serie A in 2000. He was in his 40s when he joined Fluminense, but has played 235 games for the club to go along with 976 for Cruzeiro, 150 for Vasco da Gama and 30 forUniao Banderante.

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Despite not making a senior appearance for Brazil, Fabio has been called up by his country on multiple occasions. He first sat on the bench for the Selecao at the 2003 Confederations Cup, when Dida and Julio Cesar were the other two senior keepers in a squad also containing World Cup winning outfielders including Ronaldinho and Kleberson.

His last senior Brazil call-up came in 2011, for a friendly against Ghana. While he never made a World Cup squad, he was an unused substitute for the 2004 Copa America triumph.

Fabio was also part of Fluminense’s squad for the expanded Club World Cup in the United States over the summer. He started all three games as the Brazilian side progressed from a group also containing Borussia Dortmund, Mamelodi Sundowns and Ulsan HD, as well as as the surprise round of 16 victory over Inter Milan and the quarter-final defeat at the hands of Chelsea.

Shilton, who made his professional debut before the 1966 World Cup, counts 125 senior England caps and 13 Under-23 outings towards his total. He played more than 1,000 league games during a 30-year club career, finally hanging up his gloves after a spell with Leyton Orient in the 1996-97 season.

He played for the Three Lions at three World Cups, in 1982, 1986 and 1990. The second of those is best known for Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ goal in the game against Argentina which saw England eliminated from the tournament.

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