Sebastian Abreu Joins Athletic Club MG, Extends World Record With 30th Career Club

Sebastian 'El Loco' Abreu is making history again. The soccer star from Uruguay has signed with [...]

Sebastian "El Loco" Abreu is making history again. The soccer star from Uruguay has signed with Brazilian outfit Athletic Club MG. The 44-year-old has now played with 30 clubs in nearly 30 years as a professional. He set the Guinness world record in 2017 when he joined Chilean side Audax Italiano, his 26th career club.

"How do I feel physically? Let the ball roll and see," Abreu said during his unveiling, as reported by ESPN. "The commitment and will is there. If I am on the field it is because I have the conditions, but the most important thing was what the coach said when he did a scout evaluation, looking at the 90-minute tapes and seeing that I can help Athletic."

Abreu, who has not played since last year, decided to return after Athletic expressed interest. He was on the books of Uruguay outfit Boston River as a player-coach. Athletic Club MG was recently promoted to the First Division of the Minerio Championship after a 51-year wait.

"They had already wanted me last year but it didn't work out," Abreu said. "When the club was promoted for the first time in 51 years to play in the first division of the state competition, they called me and said that they still had the same desire to want to bring me in. This is fundamental because I do not underestimate my conditions, but when I see people who believe as I believe [in myself], it was essential for me to be here today."

Abreu, started his career in 1994 when he joined Uruguay's Defensor Sporting. From there, Abreu spent time with various clubs, including San Lorenzo, Monterrey, San Luis, UANL, Aris and Central Español. He was a member of the Uruguay national team from 1996-2012 and played in two World Cups. In the 2010 World Cup, Abreu helped the squad reach the semifinals for the first time in 40 years.

"The thing we never quite managed to do in the past was to take an idea, a mystique and a certain type of chemistry and turn it into something real," Abreu said to FIFA.com in 2011 when talking about Uruguay's success. "We had good players but they never got support or a decent run in the team. Then, when El Maestro [Oscar] Tabarez came in, we found our identity, and now we've got a very clearly defined base and solid tactics. We're working in the right way and the results have started to come.

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