James Milner achieved the record for most appearances in the Premier League at the start of this season, but despite his advanced age, it seems he has no plans to slow down just yet.
Milner broke the Premier League record in the recent Brighton vs. Brentford game (Image: Getty Images)
James Milner has just had three entries in the Guinness Book of Records, but his thinking remains the same.
“Well…some things never change,” Milner said. “Soccer is great, right? There’s always going to be doubters. No matter what you do, no matter what you achieve, there’s always someone who believes you’re not very good or that someone is better than you.
“I think you’re always a driver. You want to be the best, but you can’t change that. There’s always going to be people doubting you.
“But that’s something I’ve always been at the forefront of trying to prove that wrong. Even if it’s not on the team, okay, I’m going to show, I’m going to be on the team, I want to be the best player at my position.”
“It’s just… I don’t know where it came from. I don’t know if it was when I was younger or my dad used to play with it. He knew what I was like and used to say, ‘You’re not trying hard enough, it’s not going to work out.’
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Despite being a record breaker, Milner still says he has a need to prove people wrong. Is it any wonder why he continues to take on challenges even at the grand old age of 40?
Brighton veteran Milner became the player with 654 appearances in the top flight, surpassing Gareth Barry’s record of 653 Premier League appearances, after Brighton’s 2-0 win over Brentford last Saturday.
He also set two other records. This means he holds the record for the longest period between his first and last goal in the Premier League (22 years, 248 days) and the longest consecutive Premier League seasons played (24).
The former England midfielder began his Premier League career with Leeds at the age of 16 and went on loan to Swindon, Newcastle, Aston Villa, Manchester City and Liverpool.
James Milner is still going strong at 40 (Image: Getty Images)
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That’s a career year and a half. literally. Three Premier League titles, two FA Cups, one European Cup and as always an incredibly energetic and humble guy, he admitted last weekend that his “mobile phone died” but he wasn’t too concerned about it.
He laughed about the little trick where when you search your name on Google, a bunch of balloons pop up.
“Gareth Barry messaged me after the game and wished me a happy birthday because yesterday was his birthday,” Milner said. “He just said congratulations and said he was going to go somewhere and play golf, so that seemed like a good thing to me.
“I think I just tried to keep doing my job and really keep my head down, like I always do. I know there’s obviously a lot of discussion with these types of things, but for me, I just want to do my job. And I was especially happy to get the win. That was very important for us over the weekend.”
Milner started his career at Leeds United (Image: Getty Images)
Milner slipped into the boring story of his social media alter ego character, James Milner. Even he, an old school pro who avoids things like Instagram and X, even enjoyed it. Ice baths, supplements, abstinence and a strict diet all helped prolong his career, he says.
Last season, he was plagued by injuries and could barely lift his feet, let alone play in the Premier League. But there was a determination to prove people wrong again.
“I think most people, the surgeons, the physical therapists, everyone who knew what I had, probably everyone thought I was done. As a football player at my age and what I had,” Milner said.
“So, to be honest, that’s probably why I’m still playing, to prove that I’m not going to end my career in a way that’s out of my control.”
James Milner has enjoyed a trophy-filled career (Image: Getty Images)
There is one last record to be broken. Teddy Sheringham played in the Premier League as an outfielder for 40 years and 272 days. Milner’s birthday was January 4th, so he will have to continue for another year.
Although he says no decision has been made yet, it is clear manager Fabian Hürzeler is still enjoying life with the 33-year-old at Brighton.
Milner added: “I’m pretty open at the moment, I don’t know if I’ll do it or not. I haven’t had any discussions with the club so obviously they should be interested. If the club doesn’t want you then I don’t mind saying I want to play another year.”
“At the beginning of the season, we said, let’s go in February and see where we are, and now we know we’re there, so let’s see what happens.
“But like I said, at the moment, I’m just doing my job every day. And like I said, things can change quickly. So, for now, I’m very open to that. And I hope the last few games have proven that I can still contribute on the field.”
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