"James Milner: The Ultimate Professional Who Picked Up Bar Tabs Despite Not Drinking in His Pursuit of Perfection!"

GARETH BARRY was no ordinary footballer.

Amassing 653 appearances in the Premier League takes some doing.

James Milner is set to equal Gareth Barry’s Premier League appearance recordCredit: Getty If he plays against Crystal Palace it will be his 653rd in the competitionCredit: Shutterstock Editorial

But even he raised an eyebrow at the dedication shown by in trying to overhaul his milestone.

Milner, who turned 40 last month, will equal Barry’s Prem appearance record if he plays for Brighton against on Sunday.

Despite being team-mates at two clubs — and Manchester City — not to mention , it took a few days away on a golfing holiday to really provide proof of Milner’s commitment.

It was not sufficient for Barry, now 44, to see what his fellow midfielder got up to on a daily basis on the training ground.

No, it was away from the game where the amiable Barry was given his first real insight into how his team-mate was going to wring every last ounce out of his career.

Barry, along with a few friends and Milner, went for a bit of R & R — playing some rounds of and then staying on at the ‘19th hole’.

But teetotal Milner, while happy to tag along, was not there just for the giggles.

Barry told SunSport: “Every footballer who has had any career in the Premier League has worked hard. There aren’t any shortcuts.

“You have to put it in. It takes a lot of effort to maintain any kind of level — especially for so long in the Premier League.

“But I realised just how far James was willing to go when we went on a short golf trip together with a few friends.

“I can’t remember where we went but we would play a round of golf and then head to a restaurant for dinner.

“We’d have a couple of drinks and James would come with us. But he doesn’t touch alcohol.

“Usually, we left him to pick up the tab in the morning when he got up first!

Milner played with Barry at Manchester CityCredit: Getty Milner could break the record while at BrightonCredit: Shutterstock Editorial

“On one of those days, when we came down to breakfast, we couldn’t find him.

“He wasn’t there. So we carried on eating without him.

“Eventually, he turned up in the breakfast room in his running gear with his boots.

“We asked him where he had been because we were all none the wiser.

“It turns out that when we booked the hotel, he had done his research.

“He found out there was a training pitch adjacent to the hotel. So he had taken his boots out there and booked the pitch for an hour to do some running.

“He was doing his exercises — even on holiday — just to keep himself ticking over.”

Despite the prospect of losing his record, Barry remains out on his own in some respects.

He has spent 54,439 career minutes on the pitch in the Premier League — dwarfing the totals of every other outfield player by a country mile.

Milner started his career at Leeds UnitedCredit: Matthew Impey David James played 51,299 minutes in the Premier LeagueCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd

Goalkeeper is the next cab off the rank with 51,299. follows on 48,869 minutes.

Milner comes in 13th spot at 40,408 — that’s well over 150 full games fewer than Barry.

The current record-holder has also started 618 games — that’s a gigantic 183 more than the Brighton man.

Milner may soon hold the appearance record — but it is clear who the real leader is in the longevity stakes.

Barry’s career stretched 23 seasons — the same as Milner’s — but he has started more games and played more minutes, although he will have to give way on the appearance record.

He said: “At the time you don’t really think about what you’re doing. I know it’s a cliche but you do take it game by game.

“You aren’t sitting there thinking, ‘Can I get to 600 appearances or will I reach 650?’. You’re just in the moment, trying to prepare as best you can for the club you’re playing for. You don’t realise how big it is until you have finished.

“I’ll be walking around the streets now and that’s, generally, what people talk to you about.

Frank Lampard has played more minutes than MilnerCredit: AFP Milner won the Premier League title with LiverpoolCredit: The Times

“They’re pleased for you. They ask you about it and congratulate you on doing it.

“So, in that respect, I’ll be sad to see it go because it stands there as one of my biggest achievements in football.

“But I will always be proud of it, even if Milly does beat it.”

Barry and Milner played alongside one another at Aston Villa in the noughties and then .

It was the former who quit Villa Park first in 2009, with Milner following him to City 12 months later.

Barry added: “I played with him at two clubs and know what type of character it’s taken to get there. I know how hard it is.

“And I have seen how hard James works first-hand.

“If it goes to him, I know it’s going to someone who has worked for it.

“Who knows what it’s like to put in the hard yards and make sacrifices. It hasn’t happened by fluke but by dedication.

“So, congratulations to him — it has taken an enormous amount of hard work.”

What his team-mates say (and his boss right now)

MICHAEL BRIDGES (Leeds)

Michael Bridges claimed Milner is drying the aging processCredit: Reuters

STRIKER Bridges was on the bench with James Milner when he made his debut as a 77th-minute sub at on November 10, 2002.

Bridges said: “It was a really exciting game and one we needed to win.

“Despite all of the tension and it was always hostile at West Ham, I don’t remember him being nervous at all as we sat there. He just got on with it and worked hard once he got on.

“James was a wise head on old shoulders from a young age.

“He’s always been a class act, on and off the pitch. He was a true professional, even back then, who never drank alcohol and always wanted to learn.

“He was so down to earth from the start and he’s loved by all, even all the older guys.

“It’s amazing what he has gone on to do and the career he has had — and it doesn’t surprise me.

“He’s like , defying the aging process due to his professional approach. Others need to take a leaf out of their books.”

STEVE HARPER (Newcastle)

Steve Harper helped Milner settle in NewcastleCredit: AFP

KEEPER Harper helped Milner settle on Tyneside after he left cash-strapped Leeds for the Geordies in 2004.

Harper (below) said: “He was the ultimate professional when he moved up to — I used to make sure he was all right and go around to his house to play .

“He was always a model professional at such a young age. That’s been the case throughout his career. He came here as a teenager and had to play in front of a big, expectant crowd but it didn’t faze him.

“He quickly showed what he could do, scoring some big goals. Off the pitch, which nobody will know, his darts nickname was Machine Gun Milner.

“He was the best in all the darts tournaments we had and I was No 2 seed to him.

“I remember him playing against Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor and he started with 100, 100, 100, which raised some eyebrows.

“I’m absolutely delighted for the career James has had. He’s remained grounded despite his incredible success.”

JORDAN HENDERSON (Liverpool)

Milner played with Jordan Henderson at LiverpoolCredit: Sunday Times

MIDFIELDER Henderson was a team-mate of Milner’s at Anfield, where they won the and the Prem title.

Speaking in May 2023, Henderson said: “It’s a well-told story now but the night we became European champions in Madrid in 2019, I did try to persuade him to join me in lifting the trophy.

“The reply was two words, the second one ‘off!’

“The reason I wanted to share that with him still stands to this day.

“The guy has been the beating heart of our team. He sets the standards.

He’s relentless. He makes everything about the collective ahead of the individual.

“He is the embodiment of the values a successful team needs.

“Often the focus on his professionalism means there is a lack of appreciation of his quality.

“His attitude is elite but so is his skill level. When you train with him every day, you realise his technical ability is close to perfect.

“With him, age is just a number. His physical condition is outrageous.”

FABIAN HURZELER (Brighton)

Fabian Hurzeler is Milner’s current managerCredit: PA

CURRENT boss Hurzeler has paid tribute to Milner’s longevity and confirmed he will be involved in Sunday’s clash with Crystal Palace.

Hurzeler said: “He’ll definitely be in the squad.

“James Milner is a role model, he is a great character to work with.

“Being a Premier League player in this age and still playing on the level he plays and also training on the level he trains, it’s incredible. I’m very pleased to work with him.

“It will be a special thing for him but he’s focused on the ambitions for the club as well.

“He is a driver of this winning mentality and it’s very important to have these kind of players in the squad.

“They know how to win, what it means to win, they know how you need to prepare a game, they know how you react like on bad runs we have at the moment.

“What is definitely special is his body and what is definitely special is his approach and discipline.

“He has proved in his career he has this hunger and desire and that’s what makes him so special.”