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James Milner
JMilner2022
Personal information
Date of Birth

4 January 1986

Place of Birth

Wortley, Leeds, England

Height

1.75 m (5'9")

Position

Midfielder

Liverpool statistics
Squad no.

7 (2015-2023)

Years

2015-2023

Appearances

330

Goals

26

Assists

45

James Philip Milner (born 2 May 1981) is an English international footballer who played as a midfielder and vice-captained Liverpool between 2015 and 2023. Signing for free from Manchester City, Milner became a vital part of Jurgen Klopp’s side, becoming a leader in the team and starring as the Reds won almost every trophy available to them. He left the club after eight years of service, making 330 appearances in his Liverpool career.

Liverpool career[]

After the departure of Steven Gerrard in the summer of 2015, Brendan Rodgers looked to replace the captain's experience and ability. Rumours began to circle of Milner's impending signing for Liverpool, after his contract was set to expire in the summer.

On 4 June 2015, it was announced that Milner had agreed to sign for the club subject to a medical, and that he would sign upon the expiring of his contract at City in July. His signing was announced on 6 July 2015, with his shirt number also being confirmed as the famous number 7, worn by Red's greats such as Kevin Keegan, Kenny Dalglish and Luis Suarez.

The midfielder said It's an amazing feeling. It's always a big thing, obviously, changing club. To sign for a club as big as Liverpool with the history they've got and the place it is - I'm just ready to get started I suppose. It's great to be here; over the summer you're thinking about it and wanting to get going once the decision has been made so it's great to come here.

On 14 July 2015, Milner made his Reds debut, playing 45 minutes in a 4-0 friendly win over the Thailand Premier League XI. Three days later, Milner picked up his first goal for the club, picking it up on the edge of the box and nutmegging the drfender, before firing a deflected finish past the goalkeeper. This was the winner in a 2-1 win over Brisbane Roar. Milner also assisted Adam Lallana's curling effort in this game.

On 7 August 2015, the day before the beginning of the Premier League, Rodgers confirmed that Milner was to be named the Liverpool vice-captain, the fourth in as many seasons under his management. Two days later, Milner made his competitive debut for the club, starting in a 1-0 victory at Stoke. Eight days later, Milner captained the team for the first team, in a 1-0 against Bournemouth, with club captain Jordan Henderson being substituted.

A week later, Milner started as captain for the first time, in a 0-0 draw at Arsenal, with Henderson ruled out with a foot injury. On 26 September 2015, Milner scored his first goal for the club, opening the scoring in the first minute with a lovely strike from the edge of the area. Milner also assisted Daniel Sturridge with a ball over the top of the defense. The Reds beat Aston Villa 3-2 at Anfield. A week later, Milner assisted Danny Ings goal from the corner, in a 1-1 draw at Everton. However, the midfielder was judged to have had a bad game, having a passing accuracy of just 52%.

After the sacking of Brendan Rodgers, Milner continued to captain the team in Jurgen Klopp's opening three games. In a 1-1 draw at home to Southampton, Milner put in a fantastic cross to allow Christian Benteke to head Liverpool into the lead. However, with five minutes to play he needlessly fouled Ryan Bertrand, and failed to mark Saido Mane, who equalised for the Saints. Milner also picked up a yellow card in the game, his 5th of the season, which ruled him out for the League Cup game at home to Bournemouth.

On 26 November 2015, Milner scored his second goal from the club, this time from the penalty spot in a 2-1 win against Bordeaux. The captain finished coolly into the corner, to equalise, before Christian Benteke scored the winner. Three days later, Milner scored again from the penalty spot, netting the only goal in a 1-0 win over Swansea.

On 23 January 2016, Milner scored his 4th of the season, putting the Reds 4-3 up at Norwich, capitalising on an abysmal backpass from a Norwich centre back, and coolly finishing it. Milner also assisted Roberto Firmino's opener, with a clever throughball. The game finished 5-4 to the Reds. Three days later, Milner coolly converted his spotkick in the penalty shootout for the second leg of the League Cup semi-final, with the Reds prevailing 6-5. On 6 February 2016, Milner assisted Roberto Firmino's opener with a delicious cross in a 2-2 draw with Sunderland. A week later, Milner scored his 5th of the season, with a cross cum shot of a free kick, that deceived the goalkeeper and went straight in. Milner continued his goalscoring form on 25 February 2016, netting the winner from the penalty spot in a 1-0 win over FC Augsburg. Milner netted again on 2 March 2016, poking home from close range to give the Reds a 2-0 lead against his former club Manchester City. Milner had also assisted Adam Lallana's opening goal, in a 3-0 win for the Reds.

Just four days later however, Milner received two yellow cards in an away game at Crystal Palace, while the Reds were a goal down, leaving a very slim chance of a comeback. Luckily for Milner, they did exactly that, coming out as 2-1 winners. On 10 April 2016, Milner picked up two assists in a 4-1 win over Stoke, taking his tally to ten for the season. Just four days later, Milner repeated his feat, grabbing another two assists in a 4-3 win over Borussia Dortmund. Unbelievably, Milner did this again on 20 April 2016, picking up another two assists in a 4-0 thrashing of Everton in the Merseyside Derby.

Milner started the 2016-17 season in the left back position after Alberto Moreno came under scrutiny. He opened his account for the season from the penalty spot on 27 August 2016, converting in a 1-1 draw at Tottenham. On 16 September 2016, Milner made his 50th appearance for the club, starting in a 2-1 win at Chelsea.

On 24 September 2016, Milner scored two goals in a 5-1 win over Hull City, both from the penalty spot. A week later, Milner continued his excellent record from the penalty spot, scoring in the 84th minute in a 2-1 win at Swansea.

On 15 January 2017, Milner netted his sixth penalty of the season, opening the scoring in a 1-1 draw with Manchester United. He continued his perfect penalty record with the Reds on 19 March, scoring the opening goal in a 1-1 draw at the home of his former club Manchester City. This run was ended on 7 May, when the acting fullback missed from he spot to resign Liverpool to a 0-0 draw against Southampton, putting a huge dent in their Champions League hopes. Fortunately for Milner, the Reds won their final two games of the season, securing a fourth place finish.

Milner made his 100th appearance for the club on 21 November, coming on as a substitute in a 3-3 draw at Sevilla. On 5 January 2018, after failing to convert his last two penalty kicks, Milner opened the scoring in the Merseyside Derby, scoring the first in a 2-1 win in the FÃ Cup.

On 24 April 2018, Milner assisted Roberto Firmino from a corner for the fifth in a 5-2 win over Roma in the Champions League semi-final. This was his ninth Champions League assist of the campaign, more than any other player has managed since 2003-04.

On 20 August 2018, Milner scored his first goal of the season, opening the scoring from the penalty spot in a 2-0 away win over Crystal Palace. In the opening Champions League game, Milner slotted in Liverpool’s second in an eventual 3-2 win over Paris Saint Germain. This was his 10th consecutive goal from the penalty spot.

After ten consecutive Liverpool goals from the penalty spot, Milner scored his first from open play in over two years with the opener in a 1-1 draw away to Arsenal on 3 November.

On 28 November 2018, Milner made his 150th appearance for the club, starting in a 2-1 defeat away to Paris Saint Germain. Milner scored the Reds' only goal of the game, firing in from the penalty spot. A week later, Milner scored a perfectly placed equaliser from the edge of the area, leveling the scoring in an eventual 3-1 win away to Burnley. This was Milner's 20th goal for the club.

On 17 March 2019, Milner came on as a substitute while 1-0 up away to Fulham, and immediately played a wayward ball back towards the defence, with Ryan Babel eventually equalising against his former club. Less than ten minutes later however, he grabbed the winner from the penalty spot. He repeated this a month later, this time rounding off a 2-0 win away to Cardiff.

On 7 May 2019, Milner put in one of his most rounded performances in a Red shirt, starting against Barcelona in the second-leg of the Champions League semi-final. Liverpool were 3-0 down after the first leg and needed a miraculous comeback to progress. Milner played the first half in midfield, and the second at left-back following an injury to Andy Robertson, not letting anyone past him as the Reds won 4-0 and progressed to the final. Three weeks later, he came off the bench for the last half an hour as his side beat Tottenham and became European champions for the sixth time.

The following season saw Milner feature much less in the starting lineup, often coming on as an experienced substitute or filling in at full-back. Despite this, he still played a starring role as Liverpool won their first league title in 30 years, as well as the UEFA Super Cup, and the club's first ever FIFA Club World Cup. Milner also produced some vital penalties, including a pair home and away against Leicester City. The former a 95th minute winner at Anfield, and the latter a crucial goal in a 4-0 victory, which took the Reds 13 points clear at the top of the table. This proved to be his final goal for the club.

His final three campaigns at the club had Milner find starts hard to come by, with them often coming as backup for Trent Alexander-Arnold at right-back, rather than his preferred midfield position. He did however make crucial appearances in some big games, including both the EFL Cup and FA Cup finals in 2022. The Reds prevailed both ties through a penalty shootout, with the experienced Milner scoring Liverpool’s first penalty each time.

On 17 May 2023, it was announced that Milner would be leaving Liverpool after eight years at the club. He made his final appearance for the club on 29 May, starting in a 4-4 draw at Southampton. It was later confirmed that he was to join Brighton & Hove Albion, linking up with former Liverpool teammate, Adam Lallana.

Milner departed Liverpool as an English, European and World champion, as well as picking up medals in the FA Cup, EFL Cup, UEFA Super Cup and Community Shield. He made 330 appearances for the Reds, scoring 26 goals and picking up 45 assists.

Honours[]

Liverpool[]

  • Premier League: 1 (2019-20)
  • UEFA Champions League: 1 (2019)
  • FA Cup: 1 (2022)
  • FIFA Club World Cup: 1 (2019)
  • EFL Cup: 1 (2022)
  • UEFA Super Cup: 1 (2019)
  • Community Shield: 1 (2022)

Stats[]

Season League FA Cup League Cup Europe Other Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
2015-16 28 5 1 0 4 0 12 2 0 0 45 7
2016-17 36 7 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 40 7
2017-18 32 0 2 1 0 0 13 0 0 0 47 1
2018-19 31 5 1 0 1 0 12 2 0 0 45 7
2019-20 22 2 2 0 2 2 9 0 2 0 37 4
2020-21 26 0 2 0 1 0 6 0 1 0 36 0
2021-22 24 0 3 0 4 0 8 0 0 0 39 0
2022-23 29 0 2 0 1 0 8 0 1 0 41 0
Total 228 19 13 1 17 2 68 4 4 0 330 26
Season Apps Goals Assists G+A
2015-16 45 7 14 21
2016-17 40 7 4 11
2017-18 47 1 11 12
2018-19 45 7 6 13
2019-20 37 4 4 8
2020-21 36 0 1 1
2021-22 39 0 3 3
2022-23 41 0 2 2
Total 330 26 45 71

External links[]

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