Renew with Brighton! Milner aims at Premier League record: 40 years old still has to break the appearance record

In the early morning of June 14, the Brighton Club officially announced that the team had completed a one-year renewal with 39-year-old England veteran James Milner. This means that the experienced midfielder will continue to be active in the Premier League when he turns 40 next season and is expected to hit multiple historic records.

is only 16 games away from the Premier League record

At present, Milner has made 638 appearances in the Premier League, only 16 games away from the historical Premier League appearance record (653 times) maintained by Barry. As long as he can play steadily in the new season, he is very likely to break this long-shattered record.

In addition, Milner became the first player to appear in the Premier League last year between the ages of 16 and 38, creating his own unique history.

On November 10, 2002, Milner, who was only 16 years old and 309 days old, made his Premier League debut against West Ham United for Leeds United, becoming one of the youngest players to play at that time. Since then, he has played for Newcastle, Aston Villa, Manchester City, Liverpool, and is now a member of Brighton.

He is the only English player who has played for five different teams in the Premier League, and this career can be regarded as a "Premier League migration history".

At the beginning of the 2024/25 season, Milner played in the first three rounds of the Premier League for Brighton and was in good shape. But he was later suffering from a thigh injury, which led to his absence for a long time. He did not come back from the bench until the last round against Tottenham.

Despite this, Milner still showed a tenacious professional spirit and good physical condition. It is worth mentioning that his new coach Fabian Hezell is only 32 years old, 7 years younger than Milner.

Although he is nearly 40 years old, Milner is not satisfied with the role of "veteran". He said: "I renew my contract not to sit on the bench, but hope to play as the main player in the new season." He will continue to use his experience and ability to help the team, while also launching an impact on personal honors.