LONDON (AP) — James Milner set a record for Premier League appearances on Saturday, playing his 654th game in England’s top flight.
Milner, 40, surpassed the benchmark set by Gareth Barry when he was named in the starting XI for Brighton’s game against Brentford. Brighton won 2-0 at the G-Tech Community Stadium.
“I feel like I can still contribute minutes. It’s a little frustrating because I might not be getting minutes this year, but of course I have to develop my players and I want to win, so it’s a good balance,” Milner said. “I hope I’ve shown in the last few games that I can still contribute on the pitch.”
Milner made his league debut for Leeds in 2002 at the age of 16, coming on as a substitute in the 4–3 win over West Ham.
During a well-travelled career, he won back-to-back trophies with Manchester City and Liverpool. Throughout his time with these two clubs, he won a string of titles including three Premier Leagues, the Champions League, the FA Cup and the English League Cup.
Milner has been at Brighton since 2023 and has made 18 appearances this season despite being in the final stages of his career.
Barry’s record was his first since his last Premier League game for West Brom, against Huddersfield in 2018. He played two more seasons in the Second Division Championship.
Milner equaled Barry’s record when he came on as a substitute for Brighton against Aston Villa on 11 February.
He doesn’t set any limits on how long he can go on.
“As you get older, things can change quickly,” he said. “Due to the injury I sustained last season, I couldn’t put my feet up for six months. I’ll keep pushing. Let’s see where it takes us.”
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