Leeds United travel to face Liverpool on New Year's Day, with one player holding special memories at both clubs
Abbie Meehan Sports Writer U-35s
06:00, 01 Jan 2026
James Milner of Leeds United tackles Robbie Fowler of Manchester City during the FA Barclaycard Premiership match between Leeds United and Manchester City at Elland Road on March 22, 2004
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James Milner debuted for Leeds as a teenager(Image: Getty Images)
James Milner regrets not spending more time at his boyhood club but admits his Liverpool career was just as special.
The midfielder joined Leeds United aged 10 in 1996, debuting for the first team at just 16 years old in 2002. Milner became the youngest player to score in the Premier League against Sunderland, a record that was later broken by Everton's James Vaughan in April 2005.
However, the teenager left Leeds just two years later after the club's relegation from the Premier League. Milner was informed he had a medical at Newcastle to join on an initial £3.6million deal. Speaking to FourFourTwo in 2018, the veteran star admitted his exit from Elland Road came as a surprise.
Milner said: "It was a very tough time to get relegated and there were a lot of financial things going on – things in the papers, off-field problems. You had to grow up quickly by watching the senior players and how they were dealing with everything.
"As hard as it was, I learned a lot very quickly. Within two years I’d had numerous managers, and highs and lows. By the start of my second season, Peter Reid had come in and I was sent on loan to Swindon. I did quite well there, went back to Leeds and started playing in every game.
"But then, in 2004, I turned up on the first day of pre-season thinking we were going to discuss a new contract, and someone said, ‘You’re going up to Newcastle for your medical tomorrow.’ I was like, ‘Am I?’ That was tough.
James Milner of Leeds United in action during the FA Barclaycard Premiership match between Leeds United and Chelsea held on December 28, 2002 at Elland Road, in Leeds, England.
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Milner was a season-ticket holder and ball boy for Leeds growing up(Image: Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
"It was disappointing that I didn’t get to play for Leeds for longer, but to do it at all was pretty special."
During his exit, Milner - who was a former Leeds season-ticket holder and ball boy - decided to waive the money he was owed by the club in order to boost their finances. He said: "What little money the club owed me, I gave up to help them, and they got a transfer fee.
"So it was portrayed to me that it was in the best interests of the club [for me to leave] due to all of the financial difficulties. I thought I was going the right thing by the club."
During his time at Liverpool, Milner confessed that he dreamed of returning to Elland Road once his Reds contract was up. In his book, Ask a Footballer: My Guide to Kicking a Ball About, the Premier League winner said: "I get asked this all the time.
"Any time I bump into a Leeds fan – or even my mates back home – it’s always, 'When are you coming back? When are you coming home?' There would be so many things to weigh up – not just for myself or my family, but for Leeds.
"If I was being released by another club, would they want me? It would be pointless for them and for me if I wasn’t needed at the time and it was just some kind of nostalgia trip.
Liverpool's English midfielder James Milner raises the trophy after winning the UEFA Champions League final football match between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid on June 1, 2019.
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Milner enjoyed great success with today's opponents Liverpool(Image: JAVIER SORIANO/AFP via Getty Images)
"You can probably tell from what I’m saying that I love the club, but I also love playing for Liverpool and I want to play at the highest level for as long as I can.
"If my time at Liverpool came to an end and I was going to go somewhere else and Leeds were one of the clubs that were interested in me, then that would be a very exciting option for all the reasons I mention."
However, the 39-year-old now plies his trade at Brighton after the expiration of his contract at the end of the 2022/23 season. But with his beloved Leeds back in the top-flight, Milner may be considering a return home in the future.
Highlighting his love for Leeds after their Amazon Prime series, he added: "When I see the atmosphere at Elland Road and I hear the crowd, it makes me proud.
James Milner of Brighton & Hove Albion looks on during the Premier League match between Everton FC and Brighton & Hove Albion FC at Goodison Park on August 17, 2024 in Liverpool, England.
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The 39-year-old is still playing in the Premier League(Image: Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
"The fan relationship changes when you’re a professional player and you move on to different clubs, but I still follow them and look out for their scores every weekend. Watching Take Us Home, you get a real feeling for how desperate everyone is for the club to get back to the Premier League, where it belongs.
"To go back and play for my hometown club again would be amazing in so many different ways. All I can really say is that I still love the club and I still love the fans.
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"It’s a regret that I didn’t play for Leeds longer. I didn’t want to leave and I felt like I was only really getting started at the club, but it was an unfortunate time for me to be coming through at Leeds."