James Milner became the Premier League appearance holder in Brighton’s game against Brentford on Saturday and gave a hint about his future at the age of 40.
James Milner becomes the player with the most appearances in Premier League history (Image: Getty Images)
Manager James Milner has hinted that retirement is not yet on the table after breaking the Premier League’s all-time appearances record. The former Liverpool and Manchester City star started in Brighton’s 2-0 win over Brentford on Saturday.
This was his 654th appearance in the competition, surpassing the record held by former City team-mate Gareth Barry. Milner, now 40, was asked how he had lived so long.
“It’s the drive and the hunger. You want to be the best every day, whether it’s in a match or in training. There are a lot of young players around me and I want to contribute to their careers, push them and help them reach the highest level as quickly as possible.”
“That’s why I came here. I feel like I can still contribute minutes. I’ve been a little frustrated this year and maybe not getting minutes, but it’s a fine balance because of course we have to develop our players and we want to win.”
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Milner is determined to start over with his future sooner rather than later. The veteran’s contract expires at the end of the season, but he doesn’t seem to be thinking about calling it quits just yet.
He added: “Hopefully in the last few games we’ve shown that we can still contribute on the pitch. I’m happy to be a part of this game and the dressing room. It’s full of great characters, very good players and a good up-and-coming manager.”
“Things can change quickly in football. When you get older, things can change quickly. Because of the injury I had last season, I couldn’t put my feet up for six months. I’m going to keep pushing and let’s see where it takes us.”
Milner made his 654th Premier League appearance at the weekend (Image: Getty Images)
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Milner was treated to a number of kind words before taking to the pitch for Brighton. Former Liverpool teammate Jordan Henderson was among those to pay tribute. Henderson said: “I was very lucky to have Millie as my vice-captain at Liverpool, but I didn’t see him that way. I saw us as two captains.”
“He helped me a lot not only on the field but also off the field. We had a very good professional relationship. We used to call it good cop, bad cop, but I’ll let you figure out which one was which. We had a great friendship off the field as well. Our wives are still good friends and we talk often.”
Milner started his career at Leeds and went on to represent Newcastle, Aston Villa, City and Liverpool in the Premier League before moving to Brighton in 2023. He has also won 61 caps for England during his career, the last of which came in 2016.
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