James Milner is on the cusp of breaking the Premier League’s all-time appearance record having crossed the 651-game mark.
The 40-year-old Brighton midfielder/full-back is just three games shy of breaking Gareth Barry’s record of 653. With plenty of games left this season, barring injury, it is all but certain that the former Liverpool man will break the record of his former Aston Villa and Manchester City teammate.
On Saturday, Milner was named on the bench for Brighton’s trip to take on Fulham. His appearance from the bench in the 81st minute meant the three-time Premier League winner will need just two more appearances to match Barry, and three appearances to claim the record outright.
Given Brighton’s schedule — with games against Everton (Jan. 31) and Crystal Palace (Feb. 8) — the earliest he could break the record is on Feb. 11 against Aston Villa, one of Milner’s former clubs.
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After Saturday’s outing, Brighton have 15 league games remaining this season, meaning Milner should be well-placed to take top spot in the appearance table.
He is currently second, with Ryan Giggs (632 appearances) in third. Frank Lampard (609) and David James (572) complete the top five.
After them, Australian goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer (544), Gary Speed (535), Emile Heskey (516), Jamie Carragher (508) and Phil Neville (505) round out the top-10.
So far this season, Milner has appeared in 12 Premier League games with one goal and an assist to his name.
He made his Premier League debut in November 2002, playing for Leeds against West Ham. At the time, aged 16 years and 309 days, he was the Premier League’s second-youngest player.
Milner has played for six clubs in total, moving from his hometown Leeds to Newcastle before also playing for Aston Villa, Manchester City, Liverpool and now Brighton.