James Milner broke the record for most Premier League appearances after starting in Brighton’s match against Brentford on Saturday, making his 654th appearance in the competition.
The 40-year-old had equaled Gareth Barry’s record of 653 appearances earlier this month.
Milner has played for Leeds United, Newcastle United, Manchester City, Liverpool, and Brighton throughout his career, winning two Premier League titles at the Etihad Stadium and one on Merseyside under manager Jürgen Klopp. The majority of his 654 appearances (just over 35%) have come in a Liverpool shirt.
Ironically, Milner is seven years older than Brighton’s current manager, Fabian Hertzler, who told the BBC before the match: “I think it’s difficult to sum up Milner’s character in one word or sentence; he’s a role model on and off the pitch.” Brighton still have 11 league games remaining this season, giving Milner an even greater opportunity to extend his record.
In addition to surpassing his former Aston Villa teammate Gareth Barry to claim the top spot, Milner has widened the gap with Ryan Giggs (632 appearances), while Frank Lampard (609) and David James (572) complete the top five.
Milner scored 56 goals in his 654 appearances, with his first coming in his fifth season with Leeds in 2002. At just 16 years and 356 days old, he was the youngest goalscorer in Premier League history at the time, a record later broken by James Vaughn for Everton in 2005.
The English midfielder also boasts 90 assists, with his highest single-season tally being 12, achieved in the 2009-10 season when he was the creative force behind Aston Villa’s impressive side.
