From £70 a week to Premier League record 24 years later

Sport InsightFrom £70 a week to Premier League record 24 years laterPublished6 February 20261002 CommentsUpdated Just nowImage source, Getty ImagesByNeil JohnstonBBC Sport journalistThis feature was originally published in February 2026, when James Milner broke the record for most Premier League appearances."People joke that I only did it because he didn't do his homework," says former Premier League referee Jon Moss about the time he sent off James Milner.Twenty-four years after making his debut, Milner, 40, has retired from football after breaking the record for most Premier League appearances last season.A stellar career spanning more than two decades, six top-flight clubs, 658 Premier League appearances, 61 England caps, three Premier League titles, two FA Cups and one Champions League triumph has also delivered some unexpected moments.Like the time Milner - known as 'Milly', external by those close to him - was sent off by Moss, his former teacher at Westbrook Lane Primary School in Horsforth, Leeds, while playing for Liverpool against Crystal Palace in 2019."He said I couldn't wait to get my card out," laughs Moss about dismissing his former pupil after switching careers."People say I'm the only teacher to send off one of his pupils in a Premier League game. We can both laugh about it now."Milner overtook Gareth Barry, who played 653 times, at the top of the all-time Premier League appearance list in February, some 8,504 days after making his debut for hometown club Leeds United soon after leaving school in 2002.To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.This video can not be playedFigure caption, 'I still feel I can contribute' - Milner on breaking Premier League appearance record"I think that [breaking the record for most Premier League appearances] will be a special thing for him but he is focused on top of that on the ambitions from the club as well. He wants to be...