James Milner is celebrating his 36th birthday and seeing that he has played in 13 of the 29 possible games this season, he isn’t showing any sign of slowing down yet.
Our No.7 is the player with the fourth most Premier League appearances in history and may not necessarily have his heart set on breaking longevity and appearance records but these will come hand-in-hand with his extended career.
With just months left on his Liverpool deal, it’s unknown if this contract will be extended, end in retirement or see a move to a different club but what does the versatile veteran need to do to break some club and league records?
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If he wants to become the oldest player to ever play for the Reds, he’s got a five-year wait on his hands and would have to play after June the 18th in 2027 to break the record held by 41-year-old Ned Doig, when the ‘keeper made his final appearance against Newcastle in 1908.
A more realistic record could be the oldest Premier League player for us. If he manages a game on or after the 20th of May 2023, he would surpass the accolade that is held by Gary McAllister and would have also beaten Bruce Grobbelaar and Paul Jones on the way, as he currently sits fourth in this leader board.
To beat a record held by Billy Liddell, the midfielder would need to score after the 1st of March in 2024 to become the oldest goalscorer for the club. Scoring after the 12th of May this year would make him the oldest Premier League goalscorer, a record also held by Gary McAllister.
Should his career continue long enough to achieve some of these above accolades, then it would suggest there would be plenty more appearances and Milner only needs 77 more to beat Gareth Barry’s Premier League record. It is unlikely he’ll ever beat John Burridge’s oldest ever Premier League player at the age of 43 years and 163 days, though.
All in all, there’s plenty within touching distance for our midfielder and he certainly seems to have the fitness and mindset to keep going.
Whatever happens though, we all wish a happy birthday to our No.7 and hope to see him at his playing best on the pitch for as long as we can.
#Ep28 of The Red Nets Podcast (Special Edition): The Koppies Awards…