James Milner, 40, ends playing career after Premier League record, months after Brighton openness
After 24 seasons in the Premier League, James Milner has retired from professional football at the age of 40, ending a career that leaves him as the competition’s all-time record appearance maker with 658 matches. He surpassed Gareth Barry’s previous mark of 653 in February this year.
Milner’s journey took him from his boyhood club Leeds United through spells at Swindon Town, Newcastle United, Aston Villa, Manchester City, Liverpool and Brighton & Hove Albion. He won three Premier League titles – two with Manchester City under Roberto Mancini and Manuel Pellegrini, and one with Liverpool – plus the Champions League, two FA Cups, two League Cups, the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup. He also earned 61 caps for England, representing his country at two World Cups and two European Championships, and holds the record for the most appearances for the England Under-21 side with 46.
Milner made his Premier League debut for Leeds at 16 years and 309 days, making him the second-youngest player to feature in the competition at the time. He remains the third-youngest scorer in Premier League history, netting at 16 years and 356 days; only Max Dowman and James Vaughan have scored at a younger age. At the other end of the spectrum, he became the second-oldest goalscorer in top-flight history at 39 years and 239 days, converting a penalty against Manchester City. His career spanned a record 23 consecutive Premier League seasons, and he played in 25 different calendar years in the competition.
Milner’s contract with Brighton expired this summer. While he told reporters in February that he was “pretty open” to extending, Brighton manager Fabian Hürzeler had hoped he would stay. Hürzeler described Milner as a “role model for every person in the world” for his professionalism, discipline and dedication to his body and teammates, and expressed a desire for him to remain at the club beyond his playing days.
The midfielder has completed several coaching badges and indicated an interest in management, but said in February that he intends to follow the advice of former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp and take a break after retiring.
The man who learned Spanish to speak with his children
One of the less-expected chapters of Milner’s career is his fluency in Spanish. He began learning the language when he signed for Manchester City in 2010, determined to bond better with his Spanish-speaking teammates. His commitment to the language went further: he revealed to The Times in 2022 that since his two children were born, he has spoken to them only in Spanish, while his wife speaks to them in English.
“They understand pretty much everything I say,” he told the newspaper. “It’s a very good gift you can give your children. My missus will tell you that’s what I’m like, if I set my mind to something, I do it. I’m stubborn and I always want to be right. I hate losing. We have some great debates here. We always joke I could be a lawyer. I’m a pretty stubborn b******!”
His Spanish proved useful during a famously tense Champions League semi-final between Liverpool and Barcelona in 2019. After Milner fouled the Argentine forward Lionel Messi, Messi called him “burro” – donkey – in Spanish. Milner, understanding every word, asked Messi if he was all right. “He wasn’t having it,” Milner told the Mail on Sunday. “I don’t think he realised I understood his Spanish. He said: ‘That foul you did, that’s because I nutmegged you.'” Milner left him to it and went back to the dressing room.
The “boring” tag that followed Milner throughout his career was one he leaned into with dry humour. After Liverpool reached the 2018 Champions League final by beating Roma, he quipped that he “might stretch to a Ribena” in his celebrations. Away from football, he left school with 11 GCSEs, and his head of maths, Steve Weeks, said: “He would have been a success at anything he chose to be.”
In a statement on Instagram, Milner said: “I leave the game with immense pride, gratitude and memories that will stay with me for the rest of my life. Football has given me far more than I could ever have imagined, and I will always be thankful for the opportunities it provided.” He added that from making his debut for the club he supported as a boy “at the age of 16 and becoming the Premier League’s youngest scorer, I could never have dreamed of the journey I’ve been on, right through to not being able to lift my foot last year and then coming back to be part of Brighton qualifying for Europe for the second time in their history at the age of 40.”
