James Milner, Premier League’s appearance record holder, retires aged 40
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He ends his career having clocked up 658 top-tier games for six clubs and represented England in four major tournaments.That journey began at Elland Road where, at the age of 16 years and 356 days, the boyhood Leeds supporter became the Premier League’s youngest goalscorer.At City Milner collected two Premier League winner’s medals and also celebrated an FA Cup and a League Cup triumph. He later helped his two children towards fluency by speaking only Spanish at home, saying: “I’m stubborn like that.”After Milner’s transfer to Liverpool in 2015, he added another top-tier title, one more FA Cup and League Cup, and won the Champions League.
“From making my debut for Leeds, who I supported growing up, at the age of 16 and becoming the Premier League’s youngest scorer, I could never have dreamed of the journey I’ve been on, right through to not being able to lift my foot last year and then coming back to be part of Brighton qualifying for Europe for the second time in their history at the age of 40.”His former Manchester City teammate Nedum Onuoha said in February that Milner was “ahead of the curve” when it came to professionalism. Typically Milner, whose regular duties at the time also included cleaning the boots of the under-18s captain, remained unfazed.James Milner made his debut for Leeds, his home town club, at the age of 16 years and 309 days and became the youngest player to score in the Premier League a few months later.
The newcomer immediately took Harper’s crown, earning the nickname “Machine Gun Milner” in the process.Otherwise known almost universally as “Milly”, having at various times operated as a full-back, winger and even emergency centre-forward in addition to his preferred central midfield role, he gained friends and admirers at every one of his clubs.Onuohasaid: “He’s the glue that holds stuff together; the complete package.”James Milner lifts the Champions League trophy after winning the competition with Liverpool in 2019. Photograph: BPI/ShutterstockJordan Henderson, Liverpool’s former captain and a close friend of the player who served as his vice-captain, spoke of Milner’s “unique mentality” and described him as one of the few people he “trusts 100%”.Such bonds have proved even more important to Milner than the trophies, records and England caps.