James Milner set to surpass record for highest number of Premier League appearances
James Milner is poised to set the record for the most appearances in Premier League history after being included in Brighton’s starting lineup for their match against Brentford on Saturday, marking his 654th appearance in the league.
The 40-year-old matched the previous record of 653 matches, held by Gareth Barry, earlier this month.
Milner has played for Leeds United, Newcastle United, Manchester City, Liverpool, and Brighton, securing two Premier League titles at the Etihad and one at Anfield under Jürgen Klopp.
The majority of Milner’s 564 Premier League appearances were made while at Liverpool, accounting for just over 35% of his total.
Milner is seven years senior to Brighton head coach Fabian Hürzeler.
Brighton has 11 Premier League matches left this season, providing Milner with additional chances to enhance his record.
In addition to surpassing his former Villa teammate Barry in the all-time rankings, Milner has increased his lead over Ryan Giggs (632 appearances). Frank Lampard (609) and David James (572) complete the top five.
Mark Schwarzer (544), Gary Speed (535), Emile Heskey (516), Jamie Carragher (508), and Phil Neville (505) fill out the top 10.
Milner has netted 56 goals in his 654 matches, with his first goal occurring during his fifth senior appearance for Leeds in 2002, when he was just 16 years and 356 days old. This goal made him the youngest player to score in Premier League history until James Vaughan scored for Everton in 2005.
The Englishman has recorded 90 Premier League assists, with a personal best of 12 assists in the 2009-10 season when he was a key playmaker for an exciting Villa side.
