“Folks joke that I solely did it as a result of he did not do his homework,” says former Premier League referee Jon Moss concerning the time he despatched off James Milner.
Twenty-four years after making his debut, Milner, 40, equalled the report for many Premier League appearances when he got here on as an early substitute for Brighton at Aston Villa on Wednesday.
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A stellar profession spanning greater than 20 years, six top-flight golf equipment, 653 Premier League appearances, 61 England caps, three Premier League titles, two FA Cups and one Champions League triumph has additionally delivered some sudden moments.
Just like the time Milner – by these near him – was despatched off by Moss, his former trainer at Westbrook Lane Major Faculty in Horsforth, Leeds, whereas taking part in for in 2019.
“He mentioned I could not wait to get my card out,” laughs Moss about dismissing his former pupil after switching careers.
“Folks say I am the one trainer to ship off certainly one of his pupils in a Premier League sport. We are able to each chortle about it now.”
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Milner is ready to go stage with Gareth Barry, who performed 653 occasions, on the high of the all-time Premier League look checklist some 8,491 days after making his debut for hometown membership Leeds United quickly after leaving college in 2002.
“I feel that might be a particular factor for him however he’s targeted on high of that on the ambitions from the membership as effectively. He desires to be all the time profitable like he was his entire life,” mentioned Brighton supervisor Fabian Hurzeler.
“He’s a driver of this successful mentality and I feel it is crucial to have these sort of gamers within the squad.
“They know the right way to win, they know what it must win, how it’s worthwhile to put together a sport, the way you react in dangerous phases like on dangerous runs we now have in the intervening time.”
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Alan Shearer, who performed with Milner at Newcastle, describes him as a mannequin skilled and a “supervisor’s dream”.
“You’d do effectively if you happen to had him in your squad since you knew precisely what you have been going to get,” provides former England captain Shearer.
That is the story a couple of younger lad from Leeds who developed to set requirements for onerous work, professionalism and longevity – and earn respect from followers everywhere in the world.
A 16-year-old Milner celebrates scoring for Leeds in a 2-0 win over Chelsea at Elland Highway in 2002 [Getty Images]
Carrying Yeboah’s shirt as a fan to scoring at 16
Milner was simply 16 and incomes £70 per week as a YTS participant when he broke into the primary workforce at Leeds, six months after taking his GCSE exams.
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On 10 November 2002, his dad Peter was within the away finish at Upton Park when boss Terry Venables despatched the teenager on for Jason Wilcox, now director of soccer at Manchester United, within the last minutes of a 4-3 win towards West Ham.
It was a dream come true for Milner, who had grown up supporting the membership and wore shirts with the names of Tony Yeboah and Tony Dorigo on the again.
Six weeks after the West Ham sport, Milner – aged 16 years and 356 days – grew to become the youngest Premier League goalscorer at the moment when he scored in a 2-1 win towards Sunderland on the Stadium of Mild.
It was not sufficient to get the previous Leeds season ticket-holder out of his post-match duties, nonetheless.
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Again then YTS gamers have been anticipated to scrub the dressing room after first-team video games.
“Even once I was taking part in and scoring objectives, after video games I used to be serving to the equipment man decide soiled shirts off the dressing room ground,” Milner instructed the in 2023.
“I carried on cleansing the under-18 captain’s boots. I used to be taking part in within the first workforce however he was nonetheless older than me.”
It was not lengthy, nonetheless, earlier than Milner was despatched on mortgage to the third tier of English soccer to proceed his soccer schooling.
By the point he arrived at Swindon City, Milner had made 18 Premier League appearances, scored a few objectives and, regardless of his tender years, was already revered by Leeds followers.
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Some 17-year-olds might need sulked on the prospect of swapping the glamour of the Premier League for video games towards Grimsby and Peterborough.
Milner noticed it as an opportunity to point out what he was all about.
Milner was introduced with an MBE in 2023 for providers to soccer and charity [Getty Images]
‘I by no means wish to see you again right here’
Throughout 4 weeks in Wiltshire, Milner performed six video games and scored two objectives.
Sam Parkin, who was at Swindon similtaneously Milner, remembers a dedicated and hard-working teenager wanting to be taught.
“James was decided, pushed and targeted in comparison with a number of the different younger lads we had from Premier League golf equipment,” recollects Parkin.
“He made a aim for me towards Brighton on the Withdean Stadium and I bear in mind us each scoring in a win towards Peterborough.”
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Milner describes his time within the decrease leagues as a “little bit of an eye-opener”, with Swindon’s gamers bringing their very own pasta to eat on the workforce bus.
But he impressed along with his angle and performances, says Parkin.
“Earlier than James went again to Leeds I instructed him: ‘I by no means wish to see you again right here since you’ve obtained an excessive amount of high quality for this stage’,” he provides.
Milner returned to Elland Highway the place he grew to become a first-team common alongside the likes of Mark Viduka and Alan Smith.
He ‘celebrated’ his 18th birthday by taking part in in a 4-1 FA Cup defeat by Arsenal earlier than relegation on the finish of the 2003-04 season resulted in Leeds promoting gamers to lift cash.
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England ahead Smith moved to Manchester United in a deal price £7m, goalkeeper Paul Robinson went to Tottenham for £1.5m, whereas in a deal price £5m.
Newcastle had simply completed fifth within the Premier League, Sir Bobby Robson was supervisor and Shearer wore the captain’s armband.
It was at Newcastle, nonetheless, that Milner would go on to expertise one of many lowest moments of his profession.
James Milner and Jon Moss (each circled) in a photograph for his or her major college workforce [BBC]
‘You will not win league with a workforce of Milners’
Shearer remembers Milner having a need to be taught and enhance.
“He had an ideal mentality to get higher, to be affected person, but in addition to be pissed off and offended – you get that at occasions throughout your profession.”
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Robson misplaced his job 4 video games into the 2004-05 season and was , the previous Liverpool and Scotland midfielder.
A yr after signing for Newcastle, Milner was despatched out on mortgage to Premier League rivals Aston Villa.
Souness defended his choice on the time saying “you will not win the league with James Milners”. The comment, for which Souness has since stung the younger winger, who would go on and win three Premier League titles.
By the point Milner returned to the North East, Souness had been changed by Glenn Roeder.
But there was extra turbulence forward.
Milner pictured between Patrick Kluivert and Alan Shearer throughout Newcastle’s Uefa Cup tie with Olympiacos in 2005 [Getty Images]
Milner had impressed on mortgage at Villa a lot that in September 2006 they provided round £4m to signal him completely.
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Newcastle accepted and Milner travelled to the West Midlands solely to be taught upon arrival at Villa Park that the Magpies had pulled out of the deal on the eleventh hour on the finish of the switch window.
Milner was bitterly pissed off.
It could be one other two years earlier than he lastly sealed a everlasting swap to Villa on the age of twenty-two after 94 top-flight appearances for Newcastle.
For 2 seasons he performed underneath Martin O’Neill earlier than one other transfer in 2010.
Chelsea had simply received a Premier League and FA Cup double underneath Carlo Ancelotti and needed so as to add Milner to their squad.
Manchester Metropolis have been additionally eager. The difficulty was, they’d not received something vital since 1976.
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Milner had a call to make.
Milner helped Aston Villa attain the League Cup last in 2010 [Getty Images]
When Milner irritated Klopp
In the long run he opted for the problem of reviving Metropolis’s fortunes.
He left 5 years later having helped them win two Premier League titles, one FA Cup, one League Cup and one Group Protect.
Milner proved a flexible servant for each Roberto Mancini and Manuel Pellegrini, taking part in in a wide range of positions together with a stint as a lone striker – and he was common within the dressing room.
“We received the Premier League collectively in 2012 however there have been occasions that season when issues weren’t going effectively,” recollects former Metropolis defender Micah Richards.
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“He was one of many individuals who saved everybody going.”
Richards developed an in depth bond with Milner however remembers getting the blame for the parody ‘Boring James Milner’ social media account, which mocked the participant, typically specializing in ironing, tea and trivial match particulars.
“Everybody thought I used to be behind it,” says Richards.
“At any time when a brand new put up went up Milner would say, ‘Come on, mate, you’ve got had your enjoyable’. I would be going, ‘I swear, Millie, it is not me!’
“I ended up messaging the man behind it, saying, ‘Who is that this as a result of Milner thinks it is me?’
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“He wouldn’t disclose his title however he despatched me an image of himself and it was just a few random bloke. I simply instructed him, ‘Stick with it – I like it!'”
Milner’s 56 Premier League objectives embody 45 along with his proper foot and 9 along with his left [Getty Images]
Milner performed together with the ‘boring’ tag and through lockdown posted a video of himself
After 147 top-flight appearances for Metropolis, he was prepared for his subsequent problem.
Subsequent cease…Liverpool, the place he received the Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup, Uefa Tremendous Cup, Fifa Membership World Cup and the Group Protect.
It was not all trophies and smiles, nonetheless, at Anfield.
There was that pink card from his former trainer – after which the time he angered Klopp.
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“One time at half-time he [Klopp] was sharing his ideas and I used to be sharing mine,” Milner provides on the Excessive Efficiency podcast.
“I bear in mind him smashing his arms down on the desk and saying, ‘Will you shut up’. However Jurgen was nice, I had an ideal relationship with him.”
Milner received seven trophies in eight years at Liverpool [Getty Images]
‘A Premier League nice’
After Liverpool got here a suggestion from Brighton in 2023 to extend his top-flight profession, the place he continues to compete in what’s his twenty fourth Premier League season.
Milner, who’s eight years older than Seagulls boss Hurzeler, grew to become the Premier League’s second-oldest goalscorer behind Teddy Sheringham when he scored from the penalty spot earlier this season.
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He celebrated by recreating Diogo Jota’s trademark online game controller celebration in tribute to his former Liverpool team-mate, who died in a automotive crash final July.
Milner is carrying the No 20 shirt for Brighton, the identical quantity Jota wore at Liverpool.
“I’ve not scored [in the Premier League] for six years and I used to be carrying his quantity. Clearly, I’ve obtained assist from the good man,” mentioned an emotional Milner after the match.
Milner, aged 39 years and 239 days, grew to become the oldest participant to attain a Premier League penalty when Brighton beat Manchester Metropolis final August [Reuters]
The place does the participant who represented England on the 2010 and 2014 World Cups rank on the checklist of all-time Premier League greats?
“Milner’s title by no means actually is talked about as one of many greats, however he’s, surely,” says Richards.
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Former Leeds and England goalkeeper Paul Robinson, who performed the evening Milner made his debut at West Ham in 2002, mentioned his former team-mate had devoted his life to stay on the high stage.
“It is the whole lot you do, it is the way you stroll round at residence, it is what footwear you put on, it is the way you sleep, it is what pillows you sleep on, it is what you eat, it is what you set in your physique,” says Robinson.
“And for him to have developed the best way that the sport’s developed as effectively, it is enormous credit score to himself as an individual, not only a footballer, however as an individual.”
Will Milner keep on taking part in when his contract expires in the summertime? Having turned 40 in January, he treats each sport as if it might be his final.
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He nonetheless remembers a dialog with veteran Leeds goalkeeper Nigel Martyn quickly after breaking into the primary workforce 24 years in the past.
“He instructed me, ‘Get pleasure from it when you can as a result of it goes so quick’. I mentioned, ‘Go away it out, Nige, I am 16!’
“And right here we’re within the blink of an eye fixed – and I am the place he was.”