James Milner Retires After 24-Year Premier League Career

James Milner has retired from professional football after a 24-year Premier League career. The 40-year-old midfielder holds the record for the most Premier League appearances and won three Premier League titles. Milner spent the past three seasons with Brighton and was out of contract when he announced his retirement.

He played for six teams in the Premier League and broke the record for most appearances in February. His 658th and final Premier League appearance came during Brighton's last game of the 2025-26 season. Milner started his career at Leeds United, making his debut at age 16 in November 2002.

He was the second-youngest player to appear in the Premier League at the time and became the youngest goalscorer the following month. He is now third on the list of youngest Premier League goalscorers, behind Max Dowman and James Vaughan. After two years in Leeds' first team, he was sold to Newcastle United following the club's relegation to the Championship in 2004.

He joined Aston Villa in 2008 and made his England debut while with the club in 2009. Milner earned 61 caps for England and represented the national team at two European Championships and two World Cups. He joined Manchester City in 2010 and helped the club win its first two Premier League titles in 2012 and 2014.

Milner moved to Liverpool in 2015, where he made 332 appearances and scored 26 goals over eight seasons. He helped Liverpool win the 2019 Champions League and the club's first league title since 1990 in 2020. He lifted the FA Cup and League Cup with both Manchester City and Liverpool.

Milner missed most of the 2024-25 season through injury but played 22 games in all competitions during the 2025-26 season. " "From making my debut for Leeds United, who I supported growing up, at the age of 16 and becoming the Premier League's youngest scorer, I could never have dreamed of the journey I've been on, right through to not being able to lift my foot last year and then coming back to be part of Brighton qualifying for Europe for the second time in their history at the age of 40," Milner said.