3 Football Players Who Have Made More Appearances Than Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo is fourth in the all-time list of football’s top appearance-makers, but he could potentially move up to the top spot before he finally decides to call it quits on his legendary career.

As of his fortieth birthday, Ronaldo has played 1,265 matches in his career, the vast majority of them for Real Madrid (438), Manchester United (346) and Portugal (217).

That’s over a hundred more games under his belt than his eternal rival Lionel Messi.

Here are the only three players in the history of football that have made more appearances than Ronaldo.

3. Paul Bastock – 1,284+ appearances

One you’ve probably never heard of, Bastock is the definition of a lower-league journeyman.

The goalkeeper started out at Coventry City in the mid-1980s, part of the 1987 Sky Blues’ FA Youth Cup side that beat a Southampton Under-18s side including Alan Shearer and Matt Le Tissier en route to lifting the trophy.

Unlike said opponents, he never quite made it at the top level, but he did go on to represent well over 20 different clubs in the lower reaches of the English football pyramid in a career that spanned three and a half decades.

It was only in 2023, when he was into his fifties, that Bastock finally hung up his gloves at National League outfit Boston United while simultaneously serving as assistant manager to Norwich City cult hero Ian Culverhouse.

2. Fabio – 1,344+ appearances

No, not Rafael’s twin. That one, a one-time team-mate of Ronaldo’s at Manchester United, retired last year after 295 appearances for club and country. Pfft.

This Fabio was born 10 years before his namesake but continues earning a living from the game, having made his debut at Uniao Bandeirante way back in 1997.

He’s spent his entire career in Brazil, the bulk of his appearances (955!) coming for Cruzeiro in a mammoth 16-year stint between 2005 and 2021.

You might’ve assumed the goalkeeper would’ve retired when he left Cruzeiro in his forties, but then joined their top-flight rivals Fluminense – where he’s added almost another 200 games to his tally.

The 44-year-old finally got his hands on the Copa Libertadores in 2023, starting in the final against Boca Juniors, while last year he made a further 59 appearances in all competitions.

Even for a goalkeeper that’s absolutely outrageous longevity.

1. Peter Shilton – 1,396 appearances

Another goalkeeper, which makes Ronaldo the all-time outfield appearance-maker.

Unbelievably, Shilts made his debut for the Foxes before the 1966 World Cup and served as a back-up for Wimbledon, Coventry City and West Ham in the Premier League (albeit without playing a game for any of them).

He eventually made the final appearances of his career with Leyton Orient in the old Third Division back in 1996-97, when he was 48 years old – a short stint which made him the first (and still only) player to play over a thousand games in the Football League.