James Milner announced his retirement from professional football after how many seasons? With which club did James Milner start his career and when did he become the youngest Premier League goalscorer? What major trophies did Milner win in his club career?
Brighton James Milner: Former England midfielder James Milner has announced his retirement from football. 40-year-old Milner had a brilliant career of 24 seasons in the Premier League. This Brighton player started his career with his childhood club Leeds. He later won three Premier League titles – two with Manchester City and one with Liverpool. He also won the Champions League while playing for Liverpool. Milner broke the record of playing most matches in the Premier League this season. He ended his career with a total of 658 matches. “After 24 seasons in the Premier League, I feel it is the right time to end my playing career,” he said in an Instagram post on Monday.
He further wrote, “I made my debut at the age of 16 for Leeds, the club of which I was a fan since childhood. After this I became the youngest scorer in the Premier League. I never thought that my journey would be so amazing.” In 2002, Milner became the Premier League’s youngest goalscorer while playing for Leeds. Then his age was 16 years 356 days. However, this record was later broken by James Vaughan and then Max Doman.
Milner also played for clubs such as Newcastle and Aston Villa. In 2010 he joined Manchester City, where he won several trophies, including two Premier League titles. In 2015 he moved to Liverpool and won his third Premier League title there. He was also a part of Jurgen Klopp’s Champions League-winning team in 2019.
Milner joined Brighton on a free transfer in 2023 and in February this year he overtook Gareth Barry’s record of 653 Premier League appearances. At international level, he played 61 matches for England. Throughout his career he played a total of 964 matches for club and country.
Milner wrote, “I was lucky to live some unforgettable moments. From the fight to save the team, to winning trophies, to playing in Europe and representing my country England at two European Championships and two World Cups.” He concluded by writing, “But most of all, it is the people and friendships made during this game that I will always cherish.”
© AFP