Discovered by a prison officer and admired by Sir Alex: James Milner’s record-breaking journey

A new millennium had just dawned when Leeds United’s academy director, Alan Hill, received disturbing news.

“Sir Alex Ferguson is trying to poach one of our best players,” he was informed.

Manchester United were preparing an offer for 14-year-old James Milner which, it turns out, he could refuse.

“It was well known around the country that we had a big talent coming through,” recalls Hill, who ran Leeds’s youth programme for three years until 2000.

“James’s reputation got around to other scouts at big clubs. We knew that kind of poaching was going on and heard Sir Alex was personally involved pursuing James.

“Because of that we had to act, so put it in writing there and then that he would get a three-year contract on the day he turned 17. Not many are promised that at 14.”

Leeds’s resistance and faith were vindicated spectacularly two years later when, on a grey East End afternoon, Milner heard the starting pistol for what would become a record-breaking, 654-game Premier League marathon.

The odyssey began on November 10, 2002. West Ham United hosted Leeds in what was dubbed in contemporary reports “the P45 derby” as managers Terry Venables and Glenn Roeder fought for their jobs with their teams both in a relegation scrap.

Protecting a 4-3 lead after 85 minutes, Venables summoned 16-year-old debutant Milner to replace future Manchester United Director of Football Jason Wilcox as current Manchester United head Michael Carrick stood in opposition. Twenty-four years, five more Premier League clubs, and a couple of eras later, 40-year-old Milner has now surpassed Gareth Barry’s appearances landmark, still refusing to contemplate the finishing line.

Milner: The Henry-loving centre-forward

“He is next level for commitment. For James to reach that milestone is the least surprising record you can imagine,” one of his ex-club’s owners effused, reflecting such reverence that the guard of honour from colleagues acknowledging his feat would stretch from Elland Road to Brighton’s Amex Stadium via Newcastle, Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham.

“If I could describe James in one word, it would be ‘dedicated’,” says Roy Dixon, the former Leeds United academy kit man who first handed Milner the treasured white jersey he had craved as a Westbrook Primary School pupil.

“He started as a centre forward who loved Thierry Henry,” adds Hill, who in 1998 was sent a glowing scout report hailing “a natural leader oozing confidence”.

“The recommendation came from the Leeds scout Peter Collins – a prison officer as well as a scout and coach for us. He had seen James playing for his local team in Horsforth. He knew he had the talent immediately, but the fantastic attitude was there. He wanted to be involved in everything. He was good at many sports [Milner played cricket for Yorkshire Schools and was a regional cross country champion].

“After training he would want to stay behind and do extra, always asking about how he could get better. He played for the under-18s when he was 15, so it was already the next step to train with the first team. He was brilliant in every aspect from the first moment he trained, so I am delighted to see what he has gone on to achieve.”

Peter Reid succeeded Venables shortly after Milner’s debut. He is not shocked by his durability.

“You don’t need to be Einstein to see a player, and he was always a player, the kid,” says Reid. “Even at 17, he was very single-minded and always ‘at it’. It was like he knew the game already, and he could handle the ball. You could see his enthusiasm and drive. There was no doubt he was heading for the top level. Playing for Leeds as a Leeds lad brought a hell of a lot of responsibility, but there were a couple of games in that 2002-03 season when he was absolutely outstanding.

“We organised a loan move to Swindon for him in his second season to make sure we could keep getting him on the pitch every week. After that initial impact, it was important for him to play regularly in adult football to keep him developing rather than go back to youth games.”

Once re-established at Leeds, Milner’s famed fitness prompted some older pros to urge him to “slow down” during pre-season endurance tests to spare them embarrassment.

But plans for an extended career at the club where he had been a ball boy idolising fellow Leeds alumnus Alan Smith were scuppered by financial disarray.

A transfer from Elland Road to Newcastle was reluctantly accepted in 2004, following which the label “utility player” proved a mixed blessing. Over 180 of Milner’s appearances have been as a substitute across varied positions.

The reputation for ultra-professionalism was intact early on, though, with Milner’s eye for detail including arranging dead-ball training sessions with Newcastle Falcons and England rugby international Jonny Wilkinson.

“We didn’t get to play together at Newcastle for a variety of reasons, but it was always obvious how much work he was doing beyond normal training to be in the shape he was,” says Michael Owen, a team-mate at St James’ Park and for England.

“It was a strange time for the club when we were going through different managers, but we lived 10 doors from each other. He invited me over to his house for a game of pool one night, and I always had the impression of Milly as a fitness fanatic. Then I opened the fridge door and it was like the biggest tuck shop in the city, full of chocolate. I said: ‘Is this really all yours?’ Maybe that was the secret to having all that energy!

“Joking aside, to have made so many appearances and extend a career at the top for so long is an unbelievable achievement and testament to his professionalism.”

It was at Milner’s next club, Aston Villa, where he fully matured as Martin O’Neill offered a fixed, central role.

“When we converted him into a central midfield player, he took off. Yes, I’ll take the credit for that!” says O’Neill. “He was absolutely fantastic for us. He wasn’t lightning quick or anything like that – neither was I – but he had this amazing energy. He could look after the ball, he could defend, he got back into positions and drove us forward.

“He had all the traits I was hoping for, traits you see from a distance – things you see on the field – but also as a person as well. Such an important player; an asset but also his character. He never missed a training session and he never wanted to. He didn’t ever cause me a problem.”

‘He put absolutely everything into every game he played’

Four days before his 2010 transfer to Manchester City – and with no thought of jeopardising his move – Milner scored and relentlessly threw himself into crunching 50-50 tackles against West Ham on the opening day of the 2010-11 season, ensuring Villa fans still hold him in high regard

“People talk about the ultimate professional and nobody deserves that tag more than James,” says O’Neill, who quit Villa in the immediate aftermath of Milner’s sale.

“I never wanted to leave him out, you always had a better chance of winning with him. If you’d asked me did I think he would have this longevity, no I wouldn’t, because he put absolutely everything into every single game he played.

“I took his departure too personally. We were desperate to keep him but City offered a lot of money, more than double what we had paid for him. He wanted to go, he felt City at that moment in time, he was more likely to win things.

“But I honestly think, if Villa had turned down the bid for him, told him he was staying, he wouldn’t have kicked off. That he would have just got on with it. That tells you everything about the sort of professional he is. He was a completely different character to Gareth [Barry] – both amazing players – and I’ll tell you something; if there was one player Gareth would be happy to see break his record, it’s James Milner.”

Joining the City revolution added the glitter to Milner’s career: two Premier League titles, an FA Cup, and a League Cup were won as the first wave of Abu Dhabi signings reshaped English football.

“The hardest working player I’ve ever played with,” said Vincent Kompany, when the then Burnley manager faced Milner’s current club Brighton and Hove Albion in 2023. “There might have been loads of players who are better than James, but how many have had his career? Very, very few.”

By the time Anfield beckoned in 2015, Brendan Rodgers was seeking an influencer to fill the massive void left by Steven Gerrard’s exit.

“We needed experience and we needed a winner, and Milly is both,” says Rodgers.

“When we wanted to sign him my wife and I arranged to visit his home and then have him and his wife join us in a posh restaurant in Hale. The plan was I would talk football to convince him to join, while Charlotte and James’s wife spoke about the club and why it would be a good move for him and his family. We ended up speaking for so long about his passion for football and his ambitions that we missed our restaurant reservation and we ended up having to stop at McDonald’s on the way home!

“What stood out was his drive to add the Champions League to his Premier League title. We felt we left a great base with Milly, Jordan Henderson as the new captain and Adam Lallana to push the club forward, so it was very pleasing that is what happened.”

‘He is made of iron... bump into him and you’d bruise’

Milner’s most celebrated legacy is as one of Jürgen Klopp’s chief lieutenants between 2015-2023. The Anfield spell absorbed most of Milner’s league appearances (230), critical to ending a 30-year championship drought, lifting the 2019 Champions League, and annually defending the gruelling pre-season lactate (stamina) test title.

For emerging players such as Trent Alexander-Arnold and Curtis Jones, Milner’s standards set the tone for a glorious era.

“The thing I remember most is that he repeated Jürgen’s pre-match meeting messages almost word for word. He was very powerful in that,” Alexander-Arnold tells Telegraph Sport.

“I just remember how encouraging he was. In the starting XI or not, he was the same. He wanted me to be concentrated, aggressive. He filled me with confidence as well.

“The thing with Milly, it wasn’t the advice. It was the example he set. He wouldn’t need to say ‘get in the gym’. He’d do it. And you knew if you weren’t doing it as well, you were letting him down, and therefore letting the team down. So Milly’s biggest strength is leadership by example. ‘Don’t do what I say, do what I do’. He is a machine and he made me want to be like him, mentality wise. But by actions, not just advice.

“He is made of iron. Well, it felt that way. Bump into him and you’d bruise. But as a trainer, he was an inspiration. He gave it all and trained like he played. No place for second best. He lived and breathed every session. But he is also fun. In the rondo he’d be great fun and competitive, and I love that about him. Milly is funny and warm as well. He is an energy-giver.”

A recurring theme of the tributes for Milner reaching a Premier League peak, however, is the emphasis on talent as much as application.

“I think sometimes we concentrate on his passion and professionalism to the detriment of his quality,” Alexander-Arnold stresses.

“Technically, he is brilliant, you know. All the basic things, he did better than anyone. His quality is a joke. People should appreciate that more. Such a good player skill-wise and creative-wise. I hope people remember this.

“It’s too easy to say what a great character he is. Yes, he is. But he is top draw on the ball. Decision making. He can see things. Make things happen. He’s right up there. You can’t win titles for Man City and Liverpool without being incredibly good with a football at your feet. Yes, I’ll praise the mentality and the example. He was 10/10 on both, 11/10 even. He helped shape me with his way of doing things. But I loved playing with him because of his quality. He’s right up there for what he’s achieved and I owe him a lot, to be honest.”

‘A model human as well as professional’

Given such inspirational qualities, the expectation is Milner will move into coaching once he calls time at Brighton. That process began at Liverpool, when it was common for him to head to the Axa Academy the day after big European and league games to inspire the next generation.

“Milly is not just a model professional, he is a model human being,” says Liverpool’s Academy Director, Alex Inglethorpe. “He wanted to do his Uefa coaching badges and asked to work with the younger groups. He was as diligent as you would expect and really prepared for every season. Always all-in. It is not a case of turning up and doing what was needed for the course. There was a time when it was snowing and he was outside doing sit-ups with the team.

“There are certain people who – when they speak to a group – it goes beyond their football knowledge. He has gravitas as a person. You cannot put a price on what it means to have role models like that, especially their influence off the pitch.”

For now, it’s 654 games with the stopwatch still ticking.

“He reminds me of a footballer from a previous era,” Liverpool chairman Tom Werner tells Telegraph Sport. “He was willing to play any position for us and never complained. He is tough.”

Former Leeds boss Reid agrees: “It shows the attitude he had as that young kid has never left him. Desire is massive in top-class players. If you are going to be at the top of the profession, you need desire on the training pitch, desire to keep making yourself better, and a desire when you get to that top level to stay there. That comes down to mentality. He is an example to every player.”

Additional reporting by Luke Edwards

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