JAMES MILNER has beaten an amazing record he shared with Ryan Giggs.
The Brighton midfielder, 38, made it 23 seasons in the Premier League when he started against Everton on Saturday.
And with Milner now on 636 Prem appearances, he appears likely to pass the all-time record held by Gareth Barry of 653.
Brighton’s new boss Fabian Hurzeler was only nine when his veteran star made his Prem debut in 2002.
At the time, Milner was the second-youngest player ever at that level – aged 16 years and 309 days.
One-club Wales icon Giggs, 50, made 963 appearances in all competitions for Manchester United from 1990-2014.
In contrast, Milner has played for seven teams in total, as well as winning 61 England caps.
He had a loan spell away from his home-town first club Leeds in the second tier with Swindon.
But after departing Elland Road for Newcastle in 2004, Milner has built a career of remarkable consistency in the top flight.
He was loaned to Aston Villa, who then signed him permanently in 2008.
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After leaving Villa Park, Milner won the Prem title twice and the FA Cup in five years with Manchester City.
And he was equally successful with Liverpool from 2015-2023, tasting glory in the Champions League, Prem and FA Cup.
Milner has since maintained his trademark workrate following a switch to Brighton at the start of last term.
And now he’s opened the new campaign by setting a record for the most seasons played in the Prem.
Milner has also become Brighton’s oldest ever top-flight player – at 38 years and 226 days old.
Fans on social media hailed the achievement of Milner, whose versatility has been praised almost as much as his attitude for more than two decades.
But some supporters were even more staggered by 31-year-old Hurzeler being just nine when Milner made his Prem bow.
One fan posted: “This may be one of the wildest stats ever.”
NOTHING stays the same forever.
And that includes the Premier League, which is making a number of tweaks this season.
Team news will now be released 75 MINUTES before kick-off, 15 minutes earlier than had been the case before.
Things could get crowded on the touchline, with the number of substitutes permitted to warm-up boosted from three players per team to FIVE.
There’s also a change to how added time is calculated when a team scores a goal, an update to the ‘multiball’ system and the introduction of semi-automated offsides – but not straight away.
Go here to read about all the changes to the Premier League for 2024/25.
