James Milner announces his retirement from football at the age of 40 in a heartfelt post

James Milner announces his retirement from professional football at the age of 40 in a heartfelt post via social media.

After 24 years in the game, Milner has decided the time is right to bring his playing career to an end, the versatile player making a total of 903 appearance and scored 86 goals between 2002 and 2026.

He played for Leeds, Swindon Newcastle, Aston Villa, Man City, Liverpool and Brighton, as well as working his way up the England ranks, from under 16 level to the senior team.

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A post shared by James Milner (@jamesmilnerofficial)

He wrote via Instagram: “After 24 seasons in the @premierleague, it feels like the right time to bring an end to my playing career.

“From making my debut for @leedsunited, who I supported growing up, at the age of 16 and becoming the Premier League’s youngest scorer, I could never have dreamed of the journey I’ve been on, right through to not being able to lift my foot last year and then coming back to be part of @officialbhafc qualifying for Europe for the second time in their history at the age of 40.

“To have gone on to represent @nufc, @astonvilla, @mancity, @liverpoolfc and @officialbhafc — and not forgetting a memorable month at @officialstfc — has been an incredible privilege.

“Every club has played a huge role in my life and career, and I want to thank everyone involved — the owners, staff, coaches, teammates and supporters who welcomed me and helped me along the way.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to experience some unforgettable moments, from fighting for survival to winning trophies, playing in Europe, and representing my country, @england, at two European Championships and two World Cups.

“But more than anything, it’s the people and friendships I’ve made throughout the game that I’ll cherish forever.

“To the fans, thank you. To those who supported me every step of the way, your encouragement meant more than you’ll ever know. And to those who gave me grief along the way, thank you too — you all played your part in making the journey memorable and helping shape me as a player and person.

“To my family, thank you for every sacrifice, every mile travelled and every moment of encouragement. None of this would have been possible without you.

“I leave the game with immense pride, gratitude and memories that will stay with me for the rest of my life. Football has given me far more than I could ever have imagined, and I will always be thankful for the opportunities it provided.

“Thank you to everyone who has been part of the journey.”

In January, Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler spoke of his hope that Milner would stay on for another season, with his contract up in the summer.

“I think things change very quickly in football, and I think when you get to my age things change very quickly as well,” Milner said, as per ESPN.

“When I look at where I was last year — not being able to lift my foot for six months — to where I am this year, and even where I was maybe six weeks ago where I wasn’t playing too many minutes and things weren’t going too well, you’re frustrated.

“But then I’ve played more minutes the last two games and when you’re part of a win, it’s easier to turn around and say, ‘Yes, I’d love to do another year.’

“I’m pretty open at this moment in time. Whether I will or whether I won’t [continue playing], I’m not sure. The club — we haven’t had any conversations, so obviously the club have to be interested as well.

“I said earlier in the season, let’s get to February and see where we’re at, and I know we’re there now, so we’ll see what happens. At this moment in time, I’m just doing my work every day, and things can change quickly. At this moment in time, I’m very open to it, and hopefully the last few games have proved that I can still contribute on the field.”

Milner added that he doesn’t “fear” retirement whenever that comes.

“I think it’s a tough question to know when’s the right time, because I feel like I can still do it now, but do you go to the point where you can’t? Is that too long? I finished the game at the weekend and some of the boys went ‘you can’t retire Milly this year, you’ve got to go again next year’. So I think that’s always a tough decision to get the right time.

“I feel like the coaching side I’ve been exposed to, in terms of a bit last year here and the badges I’ve done, interest me at times. But Jurgen [Klopp] always said, whenever you finish, you need to have a rest and a break straight away and I think that’s pretty appealing at this moment in time.”

And when the time comes, Milner said he would consider management, but the ruthlessness of it does put him off..

“Sometimes it appeals to me, for sure,” he said. “And then other times, you see managers getting a new contract and getting sacked in two months and I just don’t think people get the time they deserve now.

“Sometimes I think, yeah, it’d be great and I’d love to put my stamp on a team and I think I could do this and that. But it’s such a hard gig isn’t it? I mean, it’s so hard. Even the amount of press you’ve got to do so it is a difficult job and it’s one the competitive guy in you, thinks yeah I wouldn’t mind giving that a go and taking on.

“I feel like I’ve got a fantastic knowledge of people I’ve worked under from back to Terry Venables and Sir Bobby Robson, and then you go through to the current manager now. I’ve got a great array of different managers from different countries and different personalities to lean back on, so in one way I think it’d be a big shame to lose all that knowledge and experience I’ve built up to not be able to use that.

“I’m pretty open and seeing, I’ve always said I’m just concentrating on what I’m doing. I know the end’s getting closer, I do appreciate that, but I stay in the present and try and focus on what I can contribute to the team as a player.”

HIS CAREER:

Youth
1996–2002 Leeds United

Senior
2002–2004 – Leeds United – 54 games (5 goals)
2003 → Swindon Town (loan) – 6 games (2 goals)
2004–2008 – Newcastle United – 136 games (11 goals)
2005–2010 – Aston Villa – 126 games (22 goals)
2010–2015 – Manchester City – 203 games (18 goals)
2015–2023 – Liverpool – 332 games (26 goals)
2023–2026 – Brighton & Hove Albion – 46 games (1 goal)
Total – 903 games (86 goals)

International career
2001–2002 – England U16 – 6 games (1 goals)
2002–2003 – England U17 – 11 games (5 goals)
2004 – England U19 – 1 games (1 goals)
2003–2005 – England U20 – 6 games (0 goals)
2004–2009 – England U21 – 46 games (8 goals)
2009–2016 – England – 61 games (1 goals)