James Milner moved joint-second in the Premier League’s all-time appearance charts after starting for Brighton & Hove Albion at West Ham United on Tuesday night.
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The 37-year-old, who joined Brighton from Liverpool on a free transfer last summer, played his 632nd match in the competition, moving level with Ryan Giggs.
See: Appearance charts and more stats
Coming through the Leeds United Academy, Milner made his Premier League debut on 10 November 2002, as a substitute against West Ham, at the age of 16. That made him the second-youngest player to play in the Premier League at the time.
The joint-second most appearances in Premier League history 👏@JamesMilner is among esteemed company! pic.twitter.com/FTA1IR5wko
— Premier League (@premierleague) January 2, 2024
The world was a very different place when @JamesMilner made his Premier League debut in November 2002 😵💫 pic.twitter.com/8ZWs6XgZZt
— Premier League (@premierleague) January 2, 2024
Milner then became the youngest goalscorer in Premier League history when he scored in a 2-1 victory over Sunderland on Boxing Day that same year at the age of 16 years and 309 days.
The midfielder went on to play for Newcastle United (2004-2008), Aston Villa (2008-2010), Manchester City (2010-2015) and Liverpool (2015-2023).
Following his appearance on Tuesday, he is only 20 matches short of equalling the record, set by former Villa team-mate Gareth Barry, with 652.
Brighton have only 18 matches left now, meaning Milner cannot break the record this season.
Milner is on a one-year contract at Brighton, but the Seagulls do have an option to extend it by a further 12 months.
Most Premier League appearances
Player | Appearances |
---|---|
Gareth Barry | 652 |
Ryan Giggs | 632 |
James Milner | 632 |
Frank Lampard | 609 |
David James | 572 |
Milner's Premier League career
Club | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
---|---|---|---|
Leeds | 48 | 5 | 0 |
Newcastle | 94 | 6 | 8 |
Aston Villa | 100 | 12 | 28 |
Man City | 147 | 13 | 25 |
Liverpool | 230 | 19 | 26 |
Brighton | 13 | 0 | 2 |