44-year-old "Spiderman" Fabio takes Fluminense to the quarter-finals of the FIFA Club World Cup

At Bank of America Stadium in the early morning of July 1 (Vietnam time), Fluminense created a big surprise when defeating Inter Milan - UEFA Champions League runner-up - with a score of 2-0 in the round of 16 of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. One of the most prominent factors in this victory was goalkeeper Fábio, who turned 44 and is the "oldest" player in this year's tournament.

Playing with steely spirit and incredible reflexes, Fábio repeatedly saved Fluminense from dangerous shots from Lautaro Martínez and Marcus Thuram. Despite facing great pressure in the second half, the veteran goalkeeper remained calm and composed, contributing to a clean sheet for the South American representatives.

44-year-old — Goalkeeper Fábio Deivson Lopes Maciel, Fabio for short

Born in 1980, Fábio is the oldest player at the 2025 Club World Cup. He started his career in 1997 and made over 970 appearances for Cruzeiro before joining Fluminense in 2022.

Here, he won the Copa Libertadores 2023 and Recopa Sudamericana 2024 with the team.

The "secret" to Fabio's ability to maintain his stable performance at the age of over 40 is probably... his lack of sleep, or more accurately, "short sleep syndrome", a genetic condition that he suffers from and requires him to sleep only 3 hours a day!

Doctors have been testing Fabio's sleep since he was playing for Cruzeiro and believe that thanks to little sleep, he accumulates a lot of energy for daily physical activities.

Fabio completed his task of stopping Inter Milan from progressing to the quarter-finals of the FIFA Club World Cup and kept only his third clean sheet in four appearances for Fluminense in this year's tournament.

Fabio slept little but certainly made coach Cristian Chivu and the entire Inter Milan team "lose sleep" on the night of June 30 and certainly many nights after that.

The win over Inter Milan not only took Fluminense into the quarter-finals, but also helped Fábio reach another impressive milestone in his career. He played in 1,375 official matches and holds a record of 507 clean sheets – a number that surpasses the achievements of legends such as Gianluigi Buffon and Iker Casillas. He is aiming to surpass Peter Shilton's record of 1,390 matches.

After the match, Fluminense coach Renato Gaucho did not hesitate to praise his oldest student: "Fábio is a symbol of professionalism and passion. He is the spiritual leader of the whole team."

In the quarter-finals, Fluminense will face the winner of the Manchester City – Al Hilal match. Although rated lower, the Brazilian representative can completely create more surprises, especially when they own the "ageless goalkeeper" who is in good form.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/nguoi-nhen-44-tuoi-fabio-dua-fluminense-vao-tu-ket-fifa-club-world-cup-196250701070040947.htm