Brighton's James Milner equals all-time Premier League appearance record

Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder James Milner has equalled the all-time record for the most appearances in the Premier League.

On Wednesday, Milner came off the bench for the Seagulls in their match against Aston Villa, to take his total number of top flight appearances to 653, the same number as his former team-mate Gareth Barry.

His career, spanning more than 20 years, has seen him lift plenty of silverware - including three Premier League titles, two FA Cups and one Champions League trophy.

The 40-year-old is likely to become the solo record-holder if he plays in Brighton's next Premier League match at Brentford on 21 February.

Let's take a closer look at some more top facts about James Milner that you might not know.

James Milner's 653 Premier League appearances, equals the record set in 2018 by former midfielder Gareth Barry - although Barry has played more minutes overall.

But where did it all begin?

In November 2002, Milner made his debut for his hometown club Leeds United, soon after leaving school.

He was just 16, when he broke into the club's first team, six months after taking his GCSE exams.

It was a dream come true for Milner, who had grown up supporting the club.

Just six weeks after making his debut, Milner - aged 16 years and 356 days - became the youngest Premier League goal scorer at that time, when he scored in a 2-1 win against Sunderland.

In total, Milner has played for six Premier League teams.

He stayed at Leeds United until 2004, when he signed for Newcastle United in a deal worth £5 million.

Four years later, he moved to Aston Villa, after a successful loan spell with the club.

In 2010, Milner headed to the north-west where he joined Manchester City and helped the club win two Premier League titles, one FA Cup, one League Cup and one Community Shield.

After 147 top-flight appearances for City, he was ready for his next challenge.

Next stop Liverpool, where Milner made 230 appearances and won the Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup, Uefa Super Cup, Fifa Club World Cup and the Community Shield.

After his contract with Liverpool expired in 2023, Milner joined Brighton, where he continues to compete in what is his 24th Premier League season.

It's not just at club level, that Milner has made his mark.

He has represented England at youth level in the under-16, under-17, under-19, under-20 and under-21 squads.

He also won 61 senior caps for the Three Lions, scoring once against Moldova in 2012.

Milner was selected for the 2010 and 2014 Fifa World Cup squads, as well as the 2012 and 2016 Uefa European Championships.

Milner's career has also delivered some rather unexpected moments.

In 2019, while playing for Liverpool against Crystal Palace, Milner was given a red card and sent off.

However, the referee was very much known to Milner - it was his former primary school teacher, Jon Moss.

Moss had switched careers and was refereeing in the Premier League.

He joked that Milner told him that he "couldn't wait to get his card out".

"People say I'm the only teacher to send off one of his pupils in a Premier League game. We can both laugh about it now," Moss added.

James Milner has won a whole host of medals and trophies during his long career and he was awarded and MBE in 2023.

He was presented with the award by King Charles - then known as the Prince of Wales - in a ceremony at Windsor Castle.

The defensive midfielder was recognised for services to football and charity.

Away from the pitch, Milner set up the James Milner Foundation to help get more young people involved in sport in the UK.