However, complications with a routine knee operation meant that six months later he was still unable to lift his foot or toes. Perhaps most notably, when Graeme Souness - then Newcastle manager - loaned him to Aston Villa for the 2005-06 campaign, he said: 'You won't win the league with James Milners'. Souness was dismissed the following February and Milner has gone on to win three Premier League titles - twice with Man City and once with Liverpool, where he also lifted the Champions League. This week, Milner was presented with three Guinness World Records; the most Premier League appearances (654), most consecutive Premier League seasons played (24), and the longest period between a player's first and last Premier League goals (22 years and 248 days). As the conversation draws to a close, Milner believes the best individual season of his career came at Aston Villa.

Source: Express February 27, 2026 17:02 UTC