Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder James Milner etched his name into the Premier League record books during the Seagulls’ 4-2 defeat against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday.
Milner is still going strong at the age of 39 and remains an invaluable first-team squad member for Fabian Hurzeler’s side.
The experienced midfielder, who has entered his third season at Brighton since joining from Liverpool on a free transfer, has featured in nine games for the Seagulls across all competitions this term, though six of his seven Premier League outings have been as a substitute.
Milner was brought on for the final half-hour at Old Trafford when Brighton were three goals down, with both Carlos Baleba and Yasin Ayari failing to impress in the middle of the pitch.
Brighton’s No.20 produced an assured performance which was capped with the 146th Premier League goal contribution of his career in stoppage time.
Milner's assist from a corner for fellow substitute Charalampos Kostoulas, 18, represents the biggest gap in age between a player assisting a goal for a teammate in Premier League history, with Milner 21 years and 146 days older than Kostoulas.
British Premier League's Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder James Milner (C) enters the pitch with escort kids during a pre-season match against Japan s Kashima Antlers at Japan s national stadium in Tokyo on Wednesday, July 24, 2024 [on July 26, 2024]
What other Premier League records could Milner break?
Milner is enjoying an illustrious career that has lasted for 23 years and counting, and he has represented seven different clubs in that time, winning three Premier League titles across spells with Manchester City (two) and Liverpool (one).
The 61-cap England international put pen to paper on a one-year contract extension with Brighton in June, with his new deal taking him past his 40th birthday.
Milner turns 40 on January 4, 2026, and he would need to play into the next season to overtake Teddy Sheringham (40 years, 272 days) as the Premier League’s oldest outfield player.
The midfielder has amassed 645 Premier League appearances in total since and including his debut with Leeds United as a 16-year-old back in 2002; he is now just eight appearances away from equalling Gareth Barry’s all-time record of 653.
Milner also ranks third for minutes played in the Premier League (32,224) and currently sits behind Burnley’s Kyle Walker in second (33,044) and Barry at the top (33,144).
In addition, Milner’s 90 Premier League assists put his ninth on the all-time list, one above Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and just two behind Reds icon Steven Gerrard (92) in eighth spot.
Milner is also just behind both David Silva (93) in seventh and Dennis Bergkamp (94) in sixth, while he needs 10 more assists to become only seventh Premier League player in history to reach the 100 mark.
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