James Milner has broken the record for the most appearances made by a player in the Premier League, with Jordan Henderson among those paying tribute to the former Liverpool vice-captain
James Findlater Content Editor
15:10, 21 Feb 2026
James Milner of Brighton and Hove Albion during the Premier League match between Aston Villa and Brighton & Hove Albion at Villa Park on February 11, 2026 in Birmingham, England
James Milner has broken the record for the most Premier League appearances by a player(Image: Getty Images)
James Milner has well and truly written his name into the history of the Premier League, with the former Liverpool vice-captain having now made more appearances than anyone in the competition.
Gareth Barry’s record officially changed hands when Milner started for Brighton against Brentford where, fittingly, he came up against his former midfield partner from Anfield in Jordan Henderson.
The 40-year-old now has 654 Premier League appearances to his name, with Milner having accumulated his record-breaking tally across six different clubs during a career which began as a 16-year-old at Leeds United back in 2002, and he’s still going strong.
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Milner made the majority of his appearances during his time with the Reds, which of course also saw him crowned a Premier League champion in 2020 - one of three league titles during his career.
He made 230 league appearances during his time at Anfield, with the rest of his games being shared out between Leeds (48), Newcastle (94), Aston Villa (100), Manchester City (147) and Brighton (35).
It will come as no surprise to anyone at Liverpool to see Milner claim the record, with the midfielder having been famed for his unerring energy and professional standards that even his biggest teammates couldn’t match, with the veteran always coming out top in pre-season testing.
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Speaking to The Guardian ahead of his record-breaking game, Henderson paid the perfect tribute to his former vice-captain at Anfield.
“I was very lucky to have Milly as my vice-captain at Liverpool, although I didn’t see him as that. I saw us as a pair of captains,” Henderson said.
“He helped me tremendously, not only on the pitch but off it, too. We had a really good professional relationship. We called it good cop, bad cop – I’ll let you work out which one was which. We also had a great friendship off the field; our wives are still close and speak a lot.”
Henderson added: “For me it’s no surprise Milly’s about to break the appearance record because of his quality and talent. Also because his mentality is unique. I’m sure if you asked all the clubs he’s played for they’ll say he’s had a big impact on them, on the environment and on what they’ve achieved.
Adam Lallana, James Milner, Jordan Henderson and Andrew Robertson with the Premier League trophy
James Milner made 230 league appearances during his time at Liverpool(Image: Getty Images)
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“I can’t think of anybody that is like him in football. A 40-year-old still starting in the Premier League tells you the level he will still be training and playing at.
“I learned a lot from him at Liverpool. He was intense and very serious but, at the same time, he liked having a laugh around the dressing room or when we were travelling. He was constantly at it, constantly influencing the team whether he was playing or training or injured. It was the life he lived around football every day, the consistency that not many players would be able to cope with.
“I can’t speak highly enough of Milly. The biggest compliment I can give him is that there’s not many people in my life who I could trust 100%; I could probably count them on one hand. Milly would certainly be one of them. I’ve got a lot to thank him for, for what he’s done for me over my career. I loved every minute of it at Liverpool and he was a big part of that.”