James Milner made history in Brighton and Hove Albion’s game against Brentford.
The 40-year-old has now made more Premier League appearances than any other player in the competition’s history. He has overtaken Gareth Barry, who had held the record for over eight years, taking the crown from Ryan Giggs in September 2017.
But the honour now belongs to Milner, in a career that started all the way back in November 2002.
Who has made the most Premier League appearances?
- James Milner – 654
- Gareth Barry – 653
- Ryan Giggs – 632
- Frank Lampard – 609
- David James – 572
- Gary Speed – 535
- Emile Heskey – 516
- Mark Schwarzer – 514
- Jamie Carragher – 508
- Phil Neville – 505
During his career, Milner has played for the likes of Leeds United, Aston Villa, Newcastle United, Manchester City and Liverpool. He’s won league titles, domestic cups and the Champions League, while picking up 61 caps for England in a career of incredible longevity that’s seen him line up in midfield, on the wings and as a full-back.
But how exactly does Milner’s Premier League career stack up when it comes to minutes played, and for what other stats does he occupy a place in the competition’s top 10?
Where does James Milner rank for Premier League minutes played?
- Gareth Barry – 54,434
- David James – 51,298
- Frank Lampard – 48,871
- Ryan Giggs – 46,437
- Gary Speed – 46,319
- Mark Schwarzer – 46,181
- Rio Ferdinand – 43,890
- Sol Campbell – 43,321
- Jamie Carragher – 43,267
- John Terry – 41,969
- Steven Gerrard – 41,129
- Sylvain Distin – 40,618
- James Milner – 40,595
- Brad Friedel – 40,428
- Shay Given – 40,216
- Phil Neville – 39,857
- Petr Cech – 39,495
- Jussi Jaaskelainen – 39,080
- Aaron Hughes – 38,823
- Alan Shearer – 38,197
While Barry and Milner are level at the top of the appearance charts, the former eclipses the latter when it comes to minutes played.
Milner is actually down in 13th for minutes played, above the likes of Brad Friedel and Shay Given, but just behind former Everton and Man City centre-back Sylvain Distin.
Distin should still realistically be caught this season, sitting just 112 minutes ahead of Milner. Eleventh-placed Steven Gerrard is still within reach as well, though that would be more of a stretch.
It’s impossible for Milner to break the top 10 this season, though he hasn’t yet announced his intention to retire after this season.
Which other stat categories have been particularly fruitful across Milner’s Premier League career?
All-time Premier League assists
- Ryan Giggs – 162
- Kevin De Bruyne – 119
- Cesc Fabregas – 111
- Wayne Rooney – 103
- Frank Lampard – 102
- Dennis Bergkamp – 94
- David Silva – 93
- Mohamed Salah – 93
- Steven Gerrard – 92
- James Milner – 90
All-time Premier League successful open play crosses
- James Milner – 452
- Stewart Downing – 424
- Antonio Valencia – 344
- Jermaine Pennant – 331
- Ashley Young – 312
- Leighton Baines – 311
- Ryan Giggs – 279
- Steven Gerrard – 256
- Gareth Barry – 241
- Aaron Lennon – 235
All-time Premier League touches
- Kyle Walker – 34,217
- Gareth Barry – 33,175
- James Milner – 32,460
- Jordan Henderson – 29,820
- Cesc Fabregas – 28,806
- Steven Gerrard – 28,254
- Leighton Baines – 27,901
- Virgil van Dijk – 27,625
- Cesar Azpilicueta – 27,498
- Michael Carrick – 27,154
All-time Premier League tackles
- Gareth Barry – 1,329
- Scott Parker – 1,154
- James Milner – 1,117
- Gael Clichy – 1,028
- Sylvain Distin – 991
- Lucas Leiva – 978
- Michael Carrick – 961
- Luke Young – 955
- Pablo Zabaleta – 953
- Richard Dunne – 948
All-time Premier League duels won
- Peter Crouch – 2,804
- Gareth Barry – 2,706
- James Milner – 2,468
- Christian Benteke – 2,427
- Kevin Davies – 2,331
- Wilfried Zaha – 2,281
- Sylvain Distin – 2,206
- James Tarkowski – 2,198
- Glen Johnson – 2,075
- Gary Cahill – 2,053
All-time Premier League fouls conceded
- Kevin Davies – 927
- Gareth Barry – 834
- Marouane Fellaini – 588
- Tim Cahill – 575
- James Milner – 573
- Peter Crouch – 563
- Wayne Rooney – 506
- Ashley Young – 500
- Carlton Cole – 488
- Kevin Nolan – 485
All-time Premier League corners taken
- James Ward-Prowse – 1,370
- Steven Gerrard – 1,240
- Stewart Downing – 1,131
- Kevin De Bruyne – 1,023
- Ryan Giggs – 1,018
- James Milner – 1,016
- Ashley Young – 1,003
- Frank Lampard – 1,002
- Christian Eriksen – 1,001
- Cesc Fabregas – 896
All-time Premier League total passes
- Kyle Walker – 24,456
- Jordan Henderson – 24,253
- Gareth Barry – 24,172
- Virgil van Dijk – 23,801
- Cesc Fabregas – 22,648
- Michael Carrick – 22,285
- James Milner – 21,076
- Steven Gerrard – 20,102
- Cesar Azpilicueta – 20,030
- John Terry – 19,799