James Milner sets new Premier League appearance record in Brighton win

By: The Associated Press Posted: 12:13 PM CST Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026 Last Modified: 12:24 PM CST Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026

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LONDON (AP) — James Milner set a new Premier League appearance record on Saturday when playing in his 654th game in England's top flight.

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LONDON (AP) — James Milner set a new Premier League appearance record on Saturday when playing in his 654th game in England's top flight.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 21/02/2026 (206 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

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.

“I feel like I can still contribute minutes. I’ve been a bit frustrated this year, maybe not getting the minutes, but it’s a fine balance because of course we have to develop players as well and we want to win,” Milner said. “Hopefully I’ve proved the last few games that I can still contribute on the pitch.”

Brighton and Hove Albion's James Milner (centre) following victory in their English Premier League soccer match against Brentford in London, Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. (Peter Tarry/PA via AP)

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.

He is not putting any limits on how much longer he can go on for.

“When you get older things can change quickly,” he said. “With the injury I had last season I couldn’t lift my foot for six months. I’ll keep pushing, let’s see where that takes us.”

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer