Fábio (footballer, born 1980)

1. Overview

Fábio Deivson Lopes Maciel (born 30 September 1980), commonly known as Fábio, is a Brazilian goalkeeper who plays for Fluminense. He holds the record for the most official appearances at club level for a professional football player, with over 1,300 career appearances, and the second-most official appearances overall. His career has been marked by extensive tenures at major Brazilian clubs, particularly Cruzeiro, where he became an icon, and more recently Fluminense, where he achieved significant continental success.

2. Club Career

Fábio's club career has been extensive, spanning multiple Brazilian teams and marked by periods of both high performance and inconsistency, ultimately leading to a legacy of numerous titles and remarkable appearance records.

2.2. Cruzeiro

Fábio returned to Cruzeiro in 2005, arriving as part of an exchange deal involving striker Alex Dias. This marked the beginning of his most impactful and lengthy tenure, spanning 17 seasons and making him an iconic figure for the club.

In the first half of 2007, Fábio experienced a period of inconsistent performance and made consequential mistakes, including a notable incident in a Campeonato Mineiro match against rivals Atlético, where he was out of position, leading to a goal. This prompted some Cruzeiro supporters to call for his removal from the starting lineup. Coincidentally, after this match, Fábio was sidelined for three months due to an alleged injury, despite not showing signs of severe pain during the game itself. He returned to his starting position in mid-July, recovered his form, and quickly regained favor with the Cruzeiro fans. In November 2007, amidst speculation about a potential transfer in January 2008, Fábio extended his contract with Cruzeiro until December 2009. There were reports in April 2008 of a possible move to Fiorentina in Italy, contingent on him obtaining an EU passport through ancestral descent, but this transfer never materialized.

Fábio served as Cruzeiro's captain during both the 2013 and 2014 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A winning campaigns, leading the team to consecutive Brasileirão trophies. His exceptional performance during this period earned him the prestigious Bola de Prata trophy as the best goalkeeper in Brazil for the second time in 2013, having previously received the award in 2010.

On January 5, 2022, Fábio announced his departure from Cruzeiro via his Instagram account, citing issues with his contract renewal. He concluded his 17 seasons with the club having played 976 games and won twelve titles.

3. International Career

Fábio's international career involved significant success at the youth level for Brazil but was notably marked by limited opportunities and public frustrations regarding his exclusion from the senior national team.

Fábio was the starting goalkeeper for the Brazil U-17 squad that won both the South American U-17 Championship and the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 1997.

At the senior level, Fábio was an unused substitute in Brazil's squad for the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup and the victorious 2004 Copa América in Peru. He received several call-ups for friendlies under head coach Dunga in August and September 2006. This included a match against Norway in Oslo on August 16, 2006, which ended in a 1-1 draw, and subsequent games against Argentina and Wales on September 3 and 5, 2006, respectively. However, he did not play in any of these matches, as Gomes remained Brazil's primary goalkeeper at the time. Despite his lack of playing time, Fábio expressed satisfaction at being part of the squad, stating, "Brazil has great keepers as the level has really gone up over the past few years and we have goalies of the calibre of Rogério Ceni (São Paulo), Fábio Costa (Santos) and Júlio César (Internazionale). I just want to calmly do what I can to help the seleção."

After more than four years, Fábio was again called up to the national team in 2011 for friendly matches against the Netherlands and Romania, but he still did not make his international debut. A few weeks later, he was included in the preliminary squad for the 2011 Copa América by coach Mano Menezes, but was ultimately cut from the final 23-man roster.

4. Career Statistics

As of match played 26 February 2025, Fábio's detailed statistical records for his appearances and goals across various clubs, seasons, and competitions are as follows:

5. Honours

Fábio has amassed a significant collection of titles and individual accolades throughout his long and distinguished career at both club and international levels.

6. Records

Fábio has achieved several significant records throughout his career, cementing his place in football history.

• He holds the record for the most official appearances at club level for a professional football player.
• He has the second-most official appearances ever for a professional football player, with over 1,300.
• At 41 years and 120 days old, he became the oldest footballer to play for Fluminense, surpassing the record of Magno Alves.
• He is the first Brazilian to reach a three-digit tally of participations (100 appearances) in the Copa Libertadores.
• With 100 appearances, he ranks as the third-highest overall appearance maker in the Copa Libertadores, behind only Paraguayans Sergio Aquino (107 appearances) and Ever Almeida (113 appearances).
• At 43 years old, he became the oldest player to play in and win the Copa Libertadores final.

7. Criticism and Controversies

Despite his successful club career and numerous accolades, Fábio's consistent exclusion from the Brazilian national team has been a recurring point of public criticism and controversy.

Starting in 2013, Fábio publicly voiced his frustration over the lack of opportunities to play for the national side, claiming that the selection process for goalkeepers "has no criteria." He reiterated these complaints in 2014, prior to the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and again in 2018. This continuous exclusion, despite changes in national team coaches such as Scolari, Dunga, and Tite, has led some journalists and Brazilian football fans to criticize the national team's selection policies. Fábio is often remembered as one of the most prominent players to have faced such persistent exclusion, frequently mentioned alongside winger Lucas Moura in this context.