Few players are as synonymous with the Premier League as James Milner is. He is in his 24th season as a professional footballer – to be still playing at the highest level in such a demanding sport is an incredible achievement.
Today, we’ll take a look back at some of Milner’s greatest achievements over the course of his illustrious career in the Premier League.
Humble beginnings
Milner made his debut for Leeds United in 2002 at the age of just 16 – this made him the second-youngest Premier League player at the time. Today, plenty of players have surpassed this record, with Milner being ranked 21st in terms of the youngest Premier League debut ages.
That same year, Milner also scored his first goal in the league – at the time, he was the youngest Premier League goalscorer ever. Only Everton’s James Vaughan could beat this record, who scored his first Premier League goal when he was a few months younger than Milner was.
In 2004 Milner joined Newcastle United for £5m as Leeds were forced to sell him when they were in financial dire straits. The England international also joined Aston Villa for the balance of the 2005/06 season after joining them on loan as part of the deal that saw Newcastle sign Nolberto Solano from Villa.
During a tough season for the Villans, Milner was seen as a plus point. When he returned to Newcastle for the 2006/07 season he was a regular starter for the club.
Hitting his stride
But, of course, there is much more to Milner’s career than his bright start at Leeds. After being named the PFA Young Player of the Year in 2010, Milner won his first major trophy in 2012 when Manchester City dramatically won the Premier League title on the final day of the season. His next Premier League title came two years later, while his third came when Liverpool won the league in 2020.
Milner has had plenty of success in European competitions, too. He won the Champions League with Liverpool in 2019, finishing as runner up in 2018 and 2022. Additionally, he was also part of the Liverpool squad that finished as runners up in the 2015/16 Europa League.
On top of this, Milner has also won the UEFA Super Cup, the Club World Cup, two FA Cups and one League Cup – he has a trophy cabinet that would make even the very best of them blush.
England legacy
A regular starter for England during his prime years, Milner won 61 caps for the Three Lions over the course of his career, scoring a single goal. He retired from international duty in 2016 at the relatively early age of 30.
Now at Brighton, Milner showed that he’s still got it – just this past weekend, he scored against one of his old clubs. Brighton went onto beat Manchester City by a score of 2-1 – he may be 39 years old, but James Milner is still a Premier League-standard operator.