James Milner, Premier League’s appearance record holder, retires aged 40

Written on Monday, 01 June 2026
Louise Taylor

  • Last of his 24 Premier League seasons was at Brighton

  • ‘I could never have dreamed of the journey,’ he says

James Milner has finally pulled down the curtain on a distinguished, record-breaking and extraordinary playing career. It involved the highly versatile 40-year-old midfielder spending 24 seasons in the Premier League and winning 61 England caps as he traversed a road that carried him from Leeds to Brighton with stops at Newcastle, Aston Villa, Manchester City and Liverpool along the way.

In February, Milner, who also had a short loan at Swindon, broke the Premier League appearance record while playing for Brighton against Brentford. He ends his career having clocked up 658 top-tier games for six clubs and represented England in four major tournaments.

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