James Milner: From £70-a-week YTS player to brink of Premier League appearance record

"People joke that I only did it because he didn't do his homework," says former Premier League referee Jon Moss about the time he sent off James Milner.

Twenty-four years after making his debut, Milner, 40, will equal the record for most Premier League appearances if he features for Brighton against Crystal Palace on Sunday.

A stellar career spanning more than two decades, six top-flight clubs, 652 Premier League appearances, 61 England caps, three Premier League titles, two FA Cups and one Champions League triumph has also delivered some unexpected moments.

Like the time Milner - known as 'Millie', external by those close to him - was sent off by Moss, his former teacher at Westbrook Lane Primary School in Horsforth, Leeds, while playing for Liverpool against Crystal Palace in 2019.

"He said I couldn't wait to get my card out," laughs Moss about dismissing his former pupil after switching careers.

"People say I'm the only teacher to send off one of his pupils in a Premier League game. We can both laugh about it now."

Milner is set to go level with Gareth Barry, who played 653 times, at the top of the all-time Premier League appearance list some 8,491 days after making his debut for hometown club Leeds United soon after leaving school in 2002.

"I think that will be a special thing for him but he is focused on top of that on the ambitions from the club as well. He wants to be always successful like he was his whole life," said Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler.

"He is a driver of this winning mentality and I think it's very important to have these kind of players in the squad.

"They know how to win, they know what it needs to win, how you need to prepare a game, how you react in bad phases like on bad runs we have at the moment."

Alan Shearer, who played with Milner at Newcastle, describes him as a model professional and a "manager's dream".

"You would do well if you had him in your squad because you knew exactly what you were going to get," adds former England captain Shearer.

This is the story about a young lad from Leeds who evolved to set standards for hard work, professionalism and longevity - and earn respect from fans all over the world.

It was not enough to get the former Leeds season ticket-holder out of his post-match duties, however.

Back then YTS players were expected to clean the dressing room after first-team games.

"Even when I was playing and scoring goals, after games I was helping the kit man pick dirty shirts off the dressing room floor," Milner told the High Performance podcast, external in 2023.

"I carried on cleaning the under-18 captain's boots. I was playing in the first team but he was still older than me."

It was not long, however, before Milner was sent on loan to the third tier of English football to continue his football education.

By the time he arrived at Swindon Town, Milner had made 18 Premier League appearances, scored a couple of goals and, despite his tender years, was already revered by Leeds fans.

Some 17-year-olds might have sulked at the prospect of swapping the glamour of the Premier League for games against Grimsby and Peterborough.

Milner saw it as a chance to show what he was all about.

In the end he opted for the challenge of reviving City's fortunes.

He left five years later having helped them win two Premier League titles, one FA Cup, one League Cup and one Community Shield.

Milner proved a versatile servant for both Roberto Mancini and Manuel Pellegrini, playing in a variety of positions including a stint as a lone striker - and he was popular in the dressing room.

"We won the Premier League together in 2012 but there were times that season when things were not going well," recalls former City defender Micah Richards.

"He was one of the people who kept everyone going."

Richards developed a close bond with Milner but remembers getting the blame for the parody 'Boring James Milner' social media account, which mocked the player, often focusing on ironing, tea and trivial match details.

"Everyone thought I was behind it," says Richards.

"Whenever a new post went up Milner would say, 'Come on, mate, you've had your fun'. I'd be going, 'I swear, Millie, it's not me!'

"I ended up messaging the guy behind it, saying, 'Who is this because Milner thinks it's me?'

"He would not disclose his name but he sent me a picture of himself and it was just some random bloke. I just told him, 'Keep it up - I love it!'"

Where does the player who represented England at the 2010 and 2014 World Cups rank on the list of all-time Premier League greats?

"Milner's name never really is mentioned as one of the greats, but he is, without a doubt," says Richards.

Former Leeds and England goalkeeper Paul Robinson, who played the night Milner made his debut at West Ham in 2002, said his former team-mate had dedicated his life to remain at the top level.

"It's everything you do, it's how you walk around at home, it's what shoes you wear, it's how you sleep, it's what pillows you sleep on, it's what you eat, it's what you put in your body," says Robinson.

"And for him to have evolved the way that the game's evolved as well, it's huge credit to himself as a person, not just a footballer, but as a person."

Will Milner carry on playing when his contract expires in the summer? Having turned 40 in January, he treats every game as though it could be his last.

He still remembers a conversation with veteran Leeds goalkeeper Nigel Martyn soon after breaking into the first team 24 years ago.

"He told me, 'Enjoy it while you can because it goes so fast'. I said, 'Leave it out, Nige, I'm 16!'

"And here we are in the blink of an eye - and I'm where he was."

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