Can James Milner become the EPL’s longest serving player?

Early life period

Born in Leeds in January 1986, James Philip Milner exemplifies the ethos of the consummate professional. Both of his parents were season ticket holders at Leeds United, so one can only imagine how proud they were when he made his debut in the starting 11 for the Leeds United senior team at the tender age of 16 – back in 2002, coming on in the 84th minute in a game against West Ham United.

Club career

James Milner is one of the most successful English players of his generation. He has spent over 20 years in the English Premier League, and as he closes the distance on Gareth Barry’s record, the Leeds-born midfielder will reflect on his career’s success.

He has multiple Premier League titles, a Champions League, and a coveted PFA Player Of The Year award, which he scooped up in 2010, and an MBE he picked up last year.

Leeds United

He made a name for himself by scoring for England U21 in a game against Switzerland to secure England’s qualification for the U21 European championship.

He quickly established himself on the first team of Leeds United, but it also included a small loan spell at Swindon Town, where he made 6 appearances.

Milner’s breakthrough came long ago, before several advances occurred, long before casino gaming sponsors had made inroads into the modern EPL market as they have today.

While the embers of this started in the mid-2000s, when Milner was still at Leeds, online casinos hadn’t become the titan they have today.

Nowadays, the best online casino in Switzerland from Slotsjudge mirrors any of its counterparts across the continent, mainly because the industry has become so competitive.

Like the broader iGaming world, in the span of Milner’s career, it’s gone from a niche part of the industry to where you can find slots on almost anything Premier League-related.

Milner’s time at Leeds was short-lived. Although a goal against Sunderland meant that he briefly became the youngest-ever EPL scorer, he left Elland Road due to Leeds’s money woes, which is an issue that still plagues them, albeit nowhere near as badly. He notched up a total of 5 goals in 48 games.

Newcastle United

Milner signed for Newcastle United in the summer of 2004. While he started on sound footing, a change in management meant that he fell down the pecking order at St James Park. He was loaned to Aston Villa less than 18 months after making the trip up to the North East.

However, renowned for his professionalism, which has become one of his most noted attributes – he established himself at Newcastle United between 2006 and 2008 until Villa came in with a permanent offer.

Return to Aston Villa

Returning to Villa Park for a significant sum of £12 million on a permanent transfer in the summer of 2008, signing a four year contract.

Milner became a cult hero at Villa. He moved into central midfield to replace Gareth Barry, who coincidentally is the only man above him with more EPL appearances.

It looks like Milner will beat the record if he can avoid injury and suspension – which shouldn’t be too much of a problem given his professionalism, although he’s no stranger to the odd yellow card. He played 73 games at Aston Villa before Manchester City came knocking.

Manchester City

James moved to City in August 2010, following in the footsteps of his Villa teammate Gareth Barry, whom he has yet to catch in the EPL appearances all-time chart.

Milner’s time at City was very successful, culminating in multiple trophies, including two Premier League titles.

Liverpool

Although Milner is beloved at every club he’s played at, the 8 years he spent at Liverpool are where he notched up the most appearances in the EPL and retired from the national team to focus on his domestic success.

With the Reds, he reached 3 Champions League finals, winning one, and was part of the team that won their first EPL title in 30 years and the European Super Cup.

Milner left when his contract ran out in 2023. Although there were some whispers he might retire, I’m sure Gareth Barry wouldn’t have been happy to hear that Milner had signed a deal with Brighton. Milner made 230 league games for The Reds.

“I have been lucky to surround myself with great professionals in my career, but Milly is in the top five.” – Jurgen Klopp.

Brighton & Hove Albion

As James Milner looks to end his stellar career – Brighton & Hove Albion will likely be the last stop on his tour. If he can get a couple of dozen more appearances for The Seagulls, he will cement himself as a player with more EPL appearances than anybody else.

Even if he falls short of this mammoth challenge – he’s comfortably in the top three, which is a remarkable achievement.

James Milner Career stats

Milner’s record in every competition combined is astonishing:

• Games Played: 880 – including 637 league appearances at the time of writing.
• Goals Scored: 85
• Assists: 135
• Caps For National Team: 61

As you can see, James Milner’s stats, national team career, and history of performing at every club he’s played for speak volumes about his commitment. This culminated in an MBE — an honour he received in 2024.

Even in the twilight of his career, he is an almost permanent fixture on the Brighton team sheet, rarely appearing as a substitute.

Conclusion

You only have to look at the stats of James Milner and his career statistics to see how much of an English football icon he is. He’s a player who goes into a game with the same tenacity at 38 as he did when he was 17, 26, or 31.

While he’s not known for sponsorships, we’d love for him to get in touch with our team here at WeAreBrighton – to see if a bonafide EPL legend is a match for our page!