James Milner officially retired this Monday, announcing the end of his career on his social media platforms. The 40-year-old English midfielder now holds the record for the most Premier League appearances in history. In February of this year, Milner played his 654th match in England’s top division, overtaking Gareth Barry’s previous record of 653 games.

A journey spanning six clubs and two decades

Milner is wrapping up his 24th consecutive season in the Premier League. Brighton, his current club, marks the sixth team he’s represented at England’s highest level—and the one where he’s featured the least (34 matches). The Leeds-born player began his top-flight journey with his hometown club (48 matches) before establishing himself at Liverpool (230 matches) and Manchester City (147 matches), where he spent eight and five seasons respectively. Milner is one of only four players to have made over 100 appearances for three different clubs, alongside Gareth Barry, Gary Speed, and Rory Delap.

A career forged under legendary managers

At Liverpool, Milner played under just one manager: Jürgen Klopp. The German coach is by far the manager under whom Milner has made the most appearances, being the only one to have seen him play over 100 and even 200 matches (222 games). Roberto Mancini (82 matches) at Manchester City and Martin O’Neill (72 matches) at Aston Villa complete the podium. In total, Milner has played under 21 different managers in the Premier League—including caretakers—making him the player who has worked with the most coaches in England’s top flight.

Teammates who became legends alongside him

His longevity in Liverpool and Manchester City colors is reflected in his most frequent teammates. The top three are entirely made up of Liverpool players (Roberto Firmino, Jordan Henderson, Mohamed Salah), with the club placing seven players in the overall top ten. The remaining spots are occupied by Manchester City teammates, including Gareth Barry—the player with whom Milner shares the Premier League appearance record.

A 40-year-old who made his mark across eras

Debuting in the Premier League at just 16 years and 310 days with Leeds, Milner has shared the pitch with or faced an extraordinary number of footballers. Of the more than 5,000 players to have ever played in the Premier League since its inception in 1992, 49% have competed alongside or against Milner at some point. His remarkable endurance is further highlighted by another record: he is the second-oldest goalscorer in Premier League history (at 39 years and 239 days on August 31, 2025).

Over his 24 Premier League seasons, Milner scored 56 goals and provided 90 assists. He was directly involved in scoring in 23 of those 24 campaigns (with 2024-2025 being his only season without a decisive contribution), making him the player with the most seasons featuring at least one goal or assist. His 90 assists, distributed to 47 different players—a record in itself—place him tenth on the Premier League’s all-time assist chart, far behind Ryan Giggs’ 162.

One of his latest assists came on October 25 against Manchester United to Charalampos Kostoulas, a player born on May 30, 2007. On that day, Milner had already played 130 Premier League matches. His time at Brighton also allowed him to claim another record: the largest age gap between a player and a younger manager, a feat achieved since playing under Fabian Hürzeler, who is 7 years and 53 days his junior.