GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS, the global authority on record-breaking achievements, yesterday awarded Spanish superstar Julio Iglesias a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS certificate at a presentation in Beijing, officially recognising him as the Best-selling male Latin artist.

The 69 year old Spanish singer received the accolade as part of a press conference, announcing his China live tour. Iglesias is no stranger to such global performances - over a career spanning almost 50 years, he has released more than 80 albums, in 14 languages, and achieved more than 2,600 gold and platinum certifications for record sales.

" When I was young, it was only my father who bought my records," said Iglesias upon receiving his official GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS certificate, " I truly never could have imagined selling as many records as I have now. Thank you, Guinness World Records."

The singer and songwriter, born in Madrid, Spain, has sold over 250 million albums as of 2006. His album Julio (1983) was the first foreign language album to sell more than two million copies in the USA, and is the only foreign language record to go double platinum there.