Premier League Record Breaker Milner Announces Retirement

Brighton midfielder James Milner, who recently broke the record for the most appearances in Premier League history, has announced his retirement from football at the age of 40. 

The veteran has spent the last three seasons on the south coast with the Seagulls, making a total of 46 appearances, scoring once.

Milner made history in February of this year, when he drew level with Gareth Barry’s appearance record against one of his former clubs, Aston Villa, before going one better the following week when starting in a 2-0 victory over Brentford.

It caps an excellent career for the former Leeds United youngster, who made his Premier League debut in November 2002, in the same week Westlife collected their eleventh UK number one with Unbreakable. 

And that turned out to be a fitting omen, with Milner displaying consistent performances and a near-impeccable fitness record that saw him feature in 24 consecutive Premier League seasons.

After departing Elland Road in 2004 for Newcastle, Milner went on to represent Villa in two separate spells, before going on to win five trophies with Manchester City, including two Premier League titles.

More success was to come when he departed the Etihad for Liverpool on a free transfer in 2015. On Merseyside, Milner won another eight honours, including his first Champions League title in 2019, followed by the Club World Cup and Super Cup just a few months later.

There was also international recognition for the two-time FA Cup winner, who made 61 appearances for England after making his debut in 2009. His sole goal for his country came in a 5-0 win over Moldova during qualifying for the 2014 World Cup.

Milner retires with a total of 903 club appearances, scoring 86 goals.