From £70 a week to brink of Premier League record 24 years later
"People joke that I only did it because he didn't do his homework," says former Premier League referee Jon Moss about the time he sent off James Milner.
Twenty-four years after making his debut, Milner, 40, will equal the record for most Premier League appearances if he features for Brighton against Crystal Palace on Sunday.
A stellar career spanning more than two decades, six top-flight clubs, 652 Premier League appearances, 61 England caps, three Premier League titles, two FA Cups and one Champions League triumph has also delivered some unexpected moments.
Like the time Milner - known as 'Millie' by those close to him - was sent off by Moss, his former teacher at Westbrook Lane Primary School in Horsforth, Leeds, while playing for Liverpool against Crystal Palace in 2019.
"He said I couldn't wait to get my card out," laughs Moss about dismissing his former pupil after switching careers.
"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."
Milner is set to go level with Gareth Barry, who played 653 times, at the top of the all-time Premier League appearance list some 8,491 days after making his debut for hometown club Leeds United soon after leaving school in 2002.
"I think that will be a special thing for him but he is focused on top of that on the ambitions from the club as well. He wants to be always successful like he was his whole life," said Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler.
"He is a driver of this winning mentality and I think it's very important to have these kind of players in the squad.
"They know how to win, they know what it needs to win, how you need to prepare a game, how you react in bad phases like on bad runs we have at the moment."
Alan Shearer, who played with Milner at Newcastle, describes him as a model professional and a "manager's dream".
"You would do well if you had him in your squad because you knew exactly what you were going to get," adds former England captain Shearer.
This is the story about a young lad from Leeds who evolved to set standards for hard work, professionalism and longevity - and earn respect from fans all over the world.
A 16-year-old Milner celebrates scoring for Leeds in a 2-0 win over Chelsea at Elland Road in 2002
Wearing Yeboah's shirt as a fan to scoring at 16
Milner was just 16 and earning £70 a week as a YTS player when he broke into the first team at Leeds, six months after taking his GCSE exams.
On 10 November 2002, his dad Peter was in the away end at Upton Park when boss Terry Venables sent the youngster on for Jason Wilcox, now director of football at Manchester United, in the final minutes of a 4-3 win against West Ham.
It was a dream come true for Milner, who had grown up supporting the club and wore shirts with the names of Tony Yeboah and Tony Dorigo on the back.
Six weeks after the West Ham game, Milner - aged 16 years and 356 days - became the youngest Premier League goalscorer at that time when he scored in a 2-1 win against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.
It was not enough to get the former Leeds season ticket-holder out of his post-match duties, however.
Back then YTS players were expected to clean the dressing room after first-team games.
"Even when I was playing and scoring goals, after games I was helping the kit man pick dirty shirts off the dressing room floor," Milner told the High Performance podcast in 2023.
"I carried on cleaning the under-18 captain's boots. I was playing in the first team but he was still older than me."
It was not long, however, before Milner was sent on loan to the third tier of English football to continue his football education.
By the time he arrived at Swindon Town, Milner had made 18 Premier League appearances, scored a couple of goals and, despite his tender years, was already revered by Leeds fans.
Some 17-year-olds might have sulked at the prospect of swapping the glamour of the Premier League for games against Grimsby and Peterborough.
Milner saw it as a chance to show what he was all about.
Milner was presented with an MBE in 2023 for services to football and charity
'I never want to see you back here'
During four weeks in Wiltshire, Milner played six games and scored two goals.
Sam Parkin, who was at Swindon at the same time as Milner, remembers a committed and hard-working teenager eager to learn.
"James was determined, driven and focused compared to some of the other young lads we had from Premier League clubs," recalls Parkin.
"He made a goal for me against Brighton at the Withdean Stadium and I remember us both scoring in a win against Peterborough."
Pundits reflect on the remarkable career of James Milner
Milner describes his time in the lower leagues as a "bit of an eye-opener", with Swindon's players bringing their own pasta to eat on the team bus.
Yet he impressed with his attitude and performances, says Parkin.
"Before James went back to Leeds I told him: 'I never want to see you back here because you've got too much quality for this level'," he adds.
Milner returned to Elland Road where he became a first-team regular alongside the likes of Mark Viduka and Alan Smith.
He 'celebrated' his 18th birthday by playing in a 4-1 FA Cup defeat by Arsenal before relegation at the end of the 2003-04 season resulted in Leeds selling players to raise money.
England forward Smith moved to Manchester United in a deal worth £7m, goalkeeper Paul Robinson went to Tottenham for £1.5m, while Milner signed for Newcastle in a deal worth £5m.
Newcastle had just finished fifth in the Premier League, Sir Bobby Robson was manager and Shearer wore the captain's armband.
It was at Newcastle, however, that Milner would go on to experience one of the lowest moments of his career.
James Milner and Jon Moss (both circled) in a photo for their primary school team
'You won't win league with a team of Milners'
Shearer remembers Milner having a desire to learn and improve.
"He had a great mentality to get better, to be patient, but also to be frustrated and angry - you get that at times during your career."
Robson lost his job four games into the 2004-05 season and was replaced by Graeme Souness, the former Liverpool and Scotland midfielder.
A year after signing for Newcastle, Milner was sent out on loan to Premier League rivals Aston Villa.
Souness defended his decision at the time saying "you won't win the league with James Milners". The remark, for which Souness has since apologised, stung the young winger, who would go on and win three Premier League titles.
By the time Milner returned to the North East, Souness had been replaced by Glenn Roeder.
Yet there was more turbulence ahead.
Milner pictured between Patrick Kluivert and Alan Shearer during Newcastle's Uefa Cup tie with Olympiacos in 2005
Milner had impressed on loan at Villa so much that in September 2006 they offered around £4m to sign him permanently.
Newcastle accepted and Milner travelled to the West Midlands only to learn upon arrival at Villa Park that the Magpies had pulled out of the deal at the 11th hour at the end of the transfer window.
Milner was bitterly frustrated.
It would be another two years before he finally sealed a permanent switch to Villa at the age of 22 after 94 top-flight appearances for Newcastle.
For two seasons he played under Martin O'Neill before another move in 2010.
Chelsea had just won a Premier League and FA Cup double under Carlo Ancelotti and wanted to add Milner to their squad.
Manchester City were also keen. The trouble was, they had not won anything significant since 1976.
Milner had a decision to make.
Milner helped Aston Villa reach the League Cup final in 2010
When Milner annoyed Klopp
In the end he opted for the challenge of reviving City's fortunes.
He left five years later having helped them win two Premier League titles, one FA Cup, one League Cup and one Community Shield.
Milner proved a versatile servant for both Roberto Mancini and Manuel Pellegrini, playing in a variety of positions including a stint as a lone striker - and he was popular in the dressing room.
"We won the Premier League together in 2012 but there were times that season when things were not going well," recalls former City defender Micah Richards.
"He was one of the people who kept everyone going."
Richards developed a close bond with Milner but remembers getting the blame for the parody 'Boring James Milner' social media account, which mocked the player, often focusing on ironing, tea and trivial match details.
"Everyone thought I was behind it," says Richards.
"Whenever a new post went up Milner would say, 'Come on, mate, you've had your fun'. I'd be going, 'I swear, Millie, it's not me!'
"I ended up messaging the guy behind it, saying, 'Who is this because Milner thinks it's me?'
"He would not disclose his name but he sent me a picture of himself and it was just some random bloke. I just told him, 'Keep it up - I love it!'"
Milner's 56 Premier League goals include 45 with his right foot and nine with his left
Milner played along with the 'boring' tag and during lockdown posted a video of himself cutting his lawn with scissors.
After 147 top-flight appearances for City, he was ready for his next challenge.
Next stop...Liverpool, where he won the Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup, Uefa Super Cup, Fifa Club World Cup and the Community Shield.
It was not all trophies and smiles, however, at Anfield.
There was that red card from his former teacher - and then the time he angered Klopp.
"One time at half-time he [Klopp] was sharing his thoughts and I was sharing mine," Milner adds on the High Performance podcast.
"I remember him smashing his hands down on the table and saying, 'Will you shut up'. But Jurgen was great, I had a great relationship with him."
Milner won seven trophies in eight years at Liverpool
'A Premier League great'
After Liverpool came an offer from Brighton in 2023 to prolong his top-flight career, where he continues to compete in what is his 24th Premier League season.
Milner, who is eight years older than Seagulls boss Hurzeler, became the Premier League's second-oldest goalscorer behind Teddy Sheringham when he scored from the penalty spot against his former club Manchester City earlier this season.
He celebrated by recreating Diogo Jota's trademark video game controller celebration in tribute to his former Liverpool team-mate, who died in a car crash last July.
Milner is wearing the No 20 shirt for Brighton, the same number Jota wore at Liverpool.
"I've not scored [in the Premier League] for six years and I was wearing his number. Obviously, I've got help from the great man," said an emotional Milner after the match.
Milner, aged 39 years and 239 days, became the oldest player to score a Premier League penalty when Brighton beat Manchester City last August
Where does the player who represented England at the 2010 and 2014 World Cups rank on the list of all-time Premier League greats?
"Milner's name never really is mentioned as one of the greats, but he is, without a doubt," says Richards.
Former Leeds and England goalkeeper Paul Robinson, who played the night Milner made his debut at West Ham in 2002, said his former team-mate had dedicated his life to remain at the top level.
"It's everything you do, it's how you walk around at home, it's what shoes you wear, it's how you sleep, it's what pillows you sleep on, it's what you eat, it's what you put in your body," says Robinson.
"And for him to have evolved the way that the game's evolved as well, it's huge credit to himself as a person, not just a footballer, but as a person."
Will Milner carry on playing when his contract expires in the summer? Having turned 40 in January, he treats every game as though it could be his last.
He still remembers a conversation with veteran Leeds goalkeeper Nigel Martyn soon after breaking into the first team 24 years ago.
"He told me, 'Enjoy it while you can because it goes so fast'. I said, 'Leave it out, Nige, I'm 16!'
"And here we are in the blink of an eye - and I'm where he was."
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