James Milner matched Gareth Barry’s record for the most Premier League appearances after being brought on from the bench in the first half of Brighton‘s game against Aston Villa on Wednesday.
Milner came on for Carlos Baleba after just 22 minutes, recording his 653rd appearance in the league.
With 12 matches left in the season and the 40-year-old displaying no signs of retiring, it seems highly likely that the former England international will surpass his former Aston Villa and Manchester City teammate’s record in the coming weeks.
The Brighton veteran made his Premier League debut at the age of 16 with Leeds United in 2002. He has now equaled the appearance record after playing for six clubs: Leeds United, Newcastle United, Aston Villa, Manchester City, Liverpool, and Brighton.
Ryan Giggs (632 appearances) is next on the all-time list, followed by Frank Lampard (609) and David James (572) to complete the top five.
The top 10 is rounded out by Australian goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer (544), Gary Speed (535), Emile Heskey (516), Jamie Carragher (508), and Phil Neville (505).
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– Premier League standings