James Milner has announced his retirement from professional football at the age of 40, bringing an end to a 24-season Premier League career. The versatile midfielder, who won 61 England caps, played for Leeds United, Newcastle United, Aston Villa, Manchester City, Liverpool and Brighton & Hove Albion, as well as enjoying a loan spell at Swindon Town.
Milner broke the Premier League appearance record in February while playing for Brighton against Brentford, finishing his career with 658 top-flight appearances. He began his journey at Leeds, where at 16 years and 356 days he became the Premier League's youngest scorer. He also represented England at two European Championships and two World Cups.
During his time at Manchester City, Milner won two Premier League titles, an FA Cup and a League Cup. After moving to Liverpool in 2015, he added another league title, another FA Cup, a League Cup and the Champions League. Following a free transfer to Brighton, he helped the club qualify for European competition for the second time in their history.
Milner was renowned for his professionalism and dedication. Former Manchester City teammate Nedum Onuoha described him as “ahead of the curve” in that regard, while ex-Leeds striker Michael Bridges recalled Milner drinking Ribena Toothkind during team nights out. At Newcastle, he quickly dethroned goalkeeper Steve Harper as the club's darts champion, earning the nickname “Machine Gun Milner”.
In his retirement announcement on Instagram, Milner said: “After 24 seasons in the Premier League, it feels like the right time to bring an end to my playing career.” He added that the friendships he made were what he would cherish most, writing: “It’s the people and friendships I’ve made throughout the game that I’ll cherish for ever.”
