Football writer Tom Hancock explores how James Milner has defied time and expectation after equalling the Premier League’s all-time appearances record.
James Milner has drawn level with Gareth Barry by making his 653rd Premier League appearance after coming on in the 22nd minute of Brighton & Hove Albion's match at Aston Villa.
When could Milner BREAK the all-time Premier League appearance record?
If he features, Milner would break the record against Brentford on Saturday 21 February.
Either way, with Brighton having 12 Premier League fixtures remaining this season, it feels inevitable that Milner will break the record imminently.
When did Milner make his Premier League debut?
Milner made his Premier League debut way back on 10 November 2002 as a substitute in Leeds United’s 4-3 win at West Ham United. At 16 years and 309 days, he became the competition’s second-youngest player ever at the time.
That Boxing Day, Milner made history by becoming the youngest goalscorer in Premier League history at 16 years and 356 days – breaking the record set by Wayne Rooney for Everton only two months earlier. He kept that honour until April 2005 when he was outdone by another Everton player, James Vaughan.
Which clubs has Milner played for in the Premier League?
Milner has turned out for six Premier League sides, starting off with 48 top-flight appearances for hometown club Leeds.
The 61-cap England international went on to play 94 Premier League games for Newcastle United, 100 for Villa across two spells, 147 for Manchester City – where he won two titles – and 230 for Liverpool – adding a third title – before joining Brighton in the summer of 2023.
James Milner’s Premier League career in numbers
| Club | Years played | Appearances | PL titles |
| Leeds | 2002-2004 | 48 | 0 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newcastle | 2004-2008 | 94 | 0 |
| Aston Villa (loan) | 2005-2006 | 27 | 0 |
| Aston Villa | 2008-2010 | 73 | 0 |
| Man City | 2010-2015 | 147 | 2 |
| Liverpool | 2015-2023 | 230 | 1 |
| Brighton | 2023-Present | 34 | 0 |
Scroll across on mobile to see the full table.
In two-and-a-half seasons with the Seagulls, Milner has made 34 Premier League appearances so far – he missed most of the 2024/25 campaign through injury – and scored one goal, taking his total in the competition to 56. He also has 90 assists to his name, The 10th-most in the competition's history.
Watch: Through the years of Milner's incredible PL career
Which other players have made the most Premier League appearances?
Prior to equalling Barry's record, Milner leapfrogged Ryan Giggs to go second on the all-time list in January 2024.
The next highest-ranked active top-flight player is one of Milner’s former Liverpool team-mates, the Brentford midfielder Jordan Henderson (454 appearances).
Is Milner the Premier League's oldest ever outfield player?
Milner is only the fifth outfield player to appear in the Premier League after their 40th birthday. Gordon Strachan was the first to achieve the feat in 1997, followed by Teddy Sheringham, Kevin Phillips and Giggs.
Of those five players, Sheringham has made the most Premier League appearances beyond 40 with 24.
Sheringham remains the oldest outfield player in the competition’s history, playing his final top-flight match for West Ham against Man City in December 2006, when aged 40 years and 272 days. Milner did not turn 40 until 4 January 2026 and as a result, with the number of fixtures remaining in 2025/26, he cannot surpass Sheringham's record this season.
Milner's current Brighton contract expires this summer, and featuring in all of their league games between now then would still leave him seven games short of Sheringham’s record. Don’t be surprised, though, if the midfielder's legendary longevity takes him into his 25th Premier League season – be that with a contract extension at Brighton or elsewhere.