# The footballers with the most official appearances in history

Goalkeeper Fábio, Peter Shilton and Cristiano Ronaldo have passed 1,300 official games: the footballers who played the most matches in their careers. Who impresses you most?

- 0 votes · 25 items
- Sep 26, 2026 · torcedor_gaucho
- https://even.best/en/l/3201/the-footballers-with-the-most-official-appearances-in-history

## Top 25

1. **Fábio** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Brazilian goalkeeper, still playing: the record holder.
2. **Peter Shilton** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — English goalkeeper, 1,387 games between 1966 and 1997.
3. **Cristiano Ronaldo** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — The outfield player with the most official games.
4. **Paul Bastock** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — English goalkeeper who played until 2022, mostly in non-league football.
5. **Rogério Ceni** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — São Paulo's goal-scoring goalkeeper.
6. **Lionel Messi** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Barcelona, PSG, Inter Miami and Argentina.
7. **Barry Hayles** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — English striker who played until 2023.
8. **Tommy Hutchison** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — A Scot with a three-decade career.
9. **Luka Modrić** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — The Croatian of Real Madrid and Milan.
10. **Pat Jennings** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Northern Irish goalkeeper of Tottenham and Arsenal.
11. **Gianluigi Buffon** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — The eternal goalkeeper of Juventus and Italy.
12. **Yasuhito Endō** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — The Japanese player with the most games.
13. **Roberto Carlos** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — The left-back with the swerving free kick.
14. **Ray Clemence** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Liverpool and Tottenham goalkeeper.
15. **Robert Lewandowski** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — The Polish goalscorer.
16. **Tony Ford** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — An Englishman who played for over 25 years.
17. **Nenê** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Brazilian midfielder with a very long career.
18. **Javier Zanetti** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Inter's eternal captain.
19. **Scott McGleish** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — English striker from the lower leagues.
20. **Marcelinho Paraíba** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Brazilian midfielder who played until 2020.
21. **Jamie Cureton** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Long-serving English striker.
22. **Xavi** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — The brain of Barcelona and Spain.
23. **Robbie James** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — A Welshman who passed a thousand games.
24. **Edin Džeko** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — The Bosnian centre-forward.
25. **Iker Casillas** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — The goalkeeper of Real Madrid and world champions Spain.

How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.