Rekordmannen James Milner lägger skorna på hyllan

James Philip Milner (born 4 January 1986) is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. A versatile player, Milner has played in multiple positions, including wing, in midfield and at full-back. He has the highest number of appearances in the Premier League, and holds the record for the longest playing career in the Premier League, surpassing Gareth Barry, with 658 appearances as of 24 May 2026, having played in the English top-flight for 24 years. He is also one of only five outfield players to have made a Premier League appearance at the age of 40 or older, joining Teddy Sheringham, Ryan Giggs, Gordon Strachan, and Kevin Phillips. Milner played football for amateur teams from Rawdon and Horsforth. He supported Leeds United from childhood, and joined the Leeds Youth Academy in 1996. He made his debut for the first team in 2002 aged 16 and became the youngest player to score in the Premier League, and later spent time on loan at Swindon Town to gain further first-team experience. After Leeds United were relegated at the end of the 2003–04 season, Milner was sold to Newcastle United. Milner made over 100 appearances for Newcastle United, winning the UEFA Intertoto Cup in 2006, and spent a year on loan at Aston Villa, before signing for Aston Villa permanently in 2008. After winning the PFA Young Player of the Year award in 2010, Milner was signed by Manchester City, and went on to win two Premier Leagues, one FA Cup, one League Cup and one FA Community Shield. Milner signed for Liverpool in 2015 on a free transfer, and was appointed vice-captain. With Liverpool he won the UEFA Champions League in 2019, as well as his third Premier League title, the UEFA Super Cup, the FIFA Club World Cup, and another FA Cup and EFL Cup title. Milner made a record 46 appearances for the England national under-21 football team, playing at the 2007 and 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Championships, finishing as runner-up in the latter. He won 61 caps for the full national team, scoring once against Moldova. He was selected for the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cup squads, as well as the 2012 and 2016 UEFA European Championships.