- Fábio, Fluminense's goalkeeper, has held the record for the most appearances in CONMEBOL Libertadores history since May.
- Éver Hugo Almeida, Franco Armani, Enzo Pérez and Sergio Aquino complete the top five.
For 36 years, the record for most appearances in the CONMEBOL Libertadores belonged to just one man. Éver Hugo Almeida, a Uruguayan-born goalkeeper who became a naturalised Paraguayan citizen, played 113 matches for Olimpia between 1973 and 1990, across 16 editions of the tournament, without ever being sent off. He won the trophy in 1979 and 1990, the latter at the age of 42. No one came close until another goalkeeper emerged, also with an extraordinarily long career and a continental title won after turning 40. On 30 April 2026, against Bolívar in La Paz, Fábio equalled Almeida's record of 113 appearances. On 6 May, in Mendoza, he surpassed it during Fluminense's 1-1 draw with Independiente Rivadavia. And he has not stopped there: following the quarter-finals against Platense, he now stands on 120 appearances and will face Palmeiras in the semi-finals, having just turned 46.
# | Jugador | Partidos | Clubes | Período |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Fábio (BRA) | 120 | Vasco da Gama, Cruzeiro, Fluminense | 2001-2026 |
2 | Éver Hugo Almeida (URU/PAR) | 113 | Olimpia | 1973-1990 |
3 | Franco Armani (ARG) | 112 | Atlético Nacional, River Plate | 2014-2025 |
4 | Enzo Pérez (ARG) | 110 | Estudiantes, River Plate, Argentinos Juniors | 2008-2026 |
5 | Sergio Aquino (PAR) | 107 | Cerro Porteño, Libertad | 2001-2020 |
6 | Lucas Pratto (ARG) | 104 | U. Católica, Vélez, Atlético Mineiro, River Plate, Olimpia, Coquimbo Unido | 2011-2026 |
7 | Giorgian De Arrascaeta (URU) | 102 | Defensor Sporting, Cruzeiro, Flamengo | 2014-2026 |
8 | Weverton (BRA) | 100 | Athletico Paranaense, Palmeiras | 2014-2025 |
9 | Ignacio Fernández (ARG) | 98 | Atlético Mineiro, River Plate | 2016-2025 |
10 | Vladimir Soria (BOL) | 96 | Jorge Wilstermann, Bolívar | 1982-2000 |
11 | Andrés D'Alessandro (ARG) | 95 | River Plate, San Lorenzo, Internacional, Nacional | 2001-2022 |
11 | Martín Silva (URU) | 95 | Defensor Sporting, Olimpia, Vasco da Gama, Libertad | 2007-2025 |
13 | Antony De Ávila (COL) | 94 | América de Cali, Barcelona | 1983-1998 |
14 | Willington Ortiz (COL) | 92 | Millonarios, Deportivo Cali, América de Cali | 1973-1988 |
15 | Rogério Ceni (BRA) | 90 | São Paulo | 1993-2015 |
15 | Marcos Rocha (BRA) | 90 | Atlético Mineiro, Palmeiras | 2013-2024 |
In total, eight players have surpassed the 100-appearance mark, seven of them within the past six years. Almeida was the only player to reach triple figures until Sergio Aquino joined him in 2020. Fábio, Enzo Pérez, Franco Armani, Weverton, Lucas Pratto and Giorgian De Arrascaeta followed, with the latter reaching 100 appearances in August this year, scoring a goal in the process during the round of 16 second leg against Cruzeiro.
The rankings reveal a clear positional trend: six of the 16 players are goalkeepers, including the top three. Fábio made two appearances for Vasco in 2001, 81 for Cruzeiro between 2008 and 2019, including the 2009 final defeat to Estudiantes, and 37 for Fluminense since 2022. He won the title in 2023 at the age of 43, becoming the oldest goalkeeper to lift the trophy. Armani, who returned to Atlético Nacional in July this year, has made 30 appearances for the Colombian club, where he won the title in 2016, and 82 for River Plate, where he was crowned champion in 2018. Weverton, now at Grêmio, holds another record: he has the most wins in the competition's history (65), a milestone he reached in September 2025, surpassing Fábio's previous tally of 63.
Argentine players occupy four of the top 11 spots. Enzo Pérez, with 42 appearances for Estudiantes, 67 for River Plate and one for Argentinos Juniors in the 2026 preliminary stage, has been the Argentine player with the most appearances since April 2024, when he surpassed Andrés D'Alessandro. Pratto, a champion with River Plate in 2018, reached 104 appearances with Coquimbo Unido, who were eliminated in the round of 16 of this year's competition. Nacho Fernández, currently at Gimnasia, remains on 98.
The two players who could climb the rankings in 2026 are both in the semi-finals. Fábio would reach 123 appearances if he plays both legs against Palmeiras and the final at the Estadio Centenario. De Arrascaeta, currently on 102, would overtake Pratto and move into sixth place if Flamengo reach the final in Montevideo. Of his appearances, 71 have come for Mengão, more than any other player in the club's history in the competition. Further down the list, Palmeiras captain Gustavo Gómez holds the club record for most Libertadores appearances and could break into the top 15 this year. Bruno Henrique, of Flamengo, and Ganso, of Fluminense, are both approaching 80 appearances.
Among the competition's legendary figures are names whose significance goes far beyond what the rankings can show. Juan Román Riquelme, a three-time champion with Boca Juniors, made 73 appearances. Alberto Spencer, the competition's all-time leading goalscorer, played approximately 87 matches for Peñarol and Barcelona. Pedro Rocha, Luis Cubilla, Willington Ortiz and Antony De Ávila, América de Cali's prolific goalscorer who also featured in two finals with Barcelona de Guayaquil, all belonged to an era when each edition featured fewer matches. One thing, however, remains unchanged at the top. Fábio, who turns 46 on 30 September, is under contract until 2027 and, if his season continues as it has so far, Almeida's long-standing record will become an even more distant landmark.
