It was a very happy birthday to James Milner on January 4, 2026: the Brighton midfielder turned the big 4-0. It’s testament to his physical longevity and psychological resilience that he’s still playing at the very highest level – just three days after chugging down his Colin the Caterpillar birthday cake, Milner was making a substitute’s appearance for the Seagulls against Manchester City in their 1-1 draw.
That saw the Yorkshireman join the Premier League’s very exclusive 40+ club, while edging him closer to the EPL’s all-time appearance record as well…
Who Has Played in the Premier League After Turning 40?
We should start with a big old asterisk here: 14 goalkeepers have played in the Premier League after turning 40. They range from the legendary John Burridge, who appeared for Manchester City against QPR at the ripe old age of 43 in May 1995 – making him the oldest player in EPL history, to the likes of Jens Lehmann, Shay Given and Edwin van der Sar.
James Milner
Goalkeepers are typically able to enjoy longer careers than their outfield counterparts, so we should give major credit to the five men that have appeared in a Premier League game after turning 40. Milner is the latest inductee into that unique band, having made his EPL debut way back in 2002 as a 16-year-old for his native Leeds United.
That in itself is a record: when Milner came off the bench for Brighton in January 2026, it extended his Premier League career to 24 years in length – no outfield player can boast a longer tenure. He has also played in 24 consecutive EPL campaigns.
James Milner has now played in 24 consecutive Premier League seasons 🍷
He’s only 15 games away from taking the all-time appearance record 👀 pic.twitter.com/NV4Ta8ceOr
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) August 17, 2025
Gordon Strachan
Gordon Strachan was the first member of the Premier League over-40s club. Although the bulk of his career was played in the days before the First Division was rebranded to the EPL, he still made 96 appearances in the Premier League era – including six for Leeds United after his milestone birthday.
Teddy Sheringham
If you take a look at the ten oldest players to feature in a Premier League game, there’s only one outfield player on the list – Teddy Sheringham. He was still going strong even after turning 40, making a number of appearances for West Ham after reaching his fifth decade. In the end, Sheringham’s final Premier League game came at the age of 40 years, 272 days.
And, as an added bonus for football fact fans, the former Tottenham and Manchester United striker is – at the time of writing – the Premier League’s oldest ever goalscorer, having bagged twice for the Hammers after celebrating his 40th birthday.
Kevin Phillips
The swansong of the career of Kevin Phillips was supposed to be at Crystal Palace as a 39-year-old during the 2012/13 campaign. But the Eagles achieved promotion to the Premier League – with Phillips netting the winner in the 2013 Championship play-off final. They asked him to stay on for their first season back in the top-flight.
The Sunderland icon would only make a handful of substitutes appearances during the 2013/14, but they came after he had turned 40.
Ryan Giggs
And one of the Premier League’s greatest ever, Ryan Giggs, is the fifth member of the EPL’s 40 club. He amassed 632 appearances for Manchester United over the course of 22 years, playing six times for the Red Devils after turning 40. Giggs would score in 21 consecutive Premier League seasons – that in itself is a record that may never be beaten.
Who Has Made the Most Premier League Appearances?
At the time of writing, five players have made 570 or more Premier League appearances.
David James
In the number five position is David James, who played 572 times across stints at Liverpool, Portsmouth, Manchester City and others. His Premier League career spanned 18 years and saw James land two records: most clean sheets and most penalties saved in the competition. The former milestone was usurped by Petr Cech in 2015.
Frank Lampard
Number four in the standings is Frank Lampard, who amassed 609 appearances for the likes of West Ham, Chelsea and Manchester City. Over the course of 19 years, Lampard scored 177 goals – the most by a midfield player in EPL history. It’s at Chelsea where he really made his name, becoming their all-time leading goalscorer and landing three Premier League titles and a Champions League winner’s medal.
Ryan Giggs
Third in the list of most Premier League appearances is that man Ryan Giggs, who played in 632 EPL games for Manchester United. The Welshman belongs in an exclusive club of just 51 players that have made 1,000 or more appearances at the elite level of professional football. As if that wasn’t enough, Giggs also won a remarkable 13 Premier League winner’s medals during Sir Alex Ferguson’s reign of terror at Old Trafford – that too is a record.
James Milner
Currently in second place is James Milner, who – at the time of writing at least – has made 650 Premier League appearances. He has scope to add more, of course, although his contract at Brighton will come to an end at the 2025/26 campaign – will the Seagulls offer him an extension, or will another Premier League club swoop?
Gareth Barry
It may not matter, as the player with the most Premier League appearances in history is Gareth Barry, who was able to play 653 times in 20 years – a nod to his resistance to injury and ability to modify his game as those legs got a little more weary with each passing game.
Those 653 runouts came for just four clubs – Aston Villa, Manchester City, Everton and West Brom – in a career defined by longevity and reinvention. But Milner could well match or even beat Barry’s record in 2026… there would be fewer players more befitting of the accolade.
