LONDON (AP) — James Milner set a new Premier League appearance record on Saturday when playing in his 654th game in England’s top flight.
The 40-year-old Milner surpassed the benchmark set by Gareth Barry when named in the starting lineup for Brighton against Brentford. Brighton won 2-0 at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Milner made his league debut as a 16-year-old for Leeds in 2002, coming on as a substitute in a 4-3 win against West Ham.
In a much-traveled career, he was a serial trophy-winner with Manchester City and Liverpool. Across his time with those two clubs he won a full set of titles including the three Premier Leagues, the Champions League, FA Cup and English League Cup.
Milner has been at Brighton since 2023 and even in the latter stages of his career has made 18 appearances this season.
Barry’s record had stood since he played his last Premier League game for West Brom against Huddersfield in 2018. He played for two more seasons in the second-tier Championship.
Milner equalled Barry’s record when coming on as a substitute for Brighton against Aston Villa on Feb. 11.
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The Associated Press
