Gareth Barry has admitted he will be “sad” to relinquish his long-standing Premier League appearance record, describing it as one of the biggest achievements of his football career.
On the afternoon of February 21, James Milner broke the record for the most appearances in Premier League history after starting for Brighton in their clash against Brentford.
The former Leeds United, Newcastle, Aston Villa, Manchester City and Liverpool midfielder has clocked 654 appearances in England's top flight, surpassing the milestone previously held by Barry.
Barry, who was Milner's teammate at Villa and City, had held the record since September 2017.
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Speaking ahead of his former teammate's record-breaking appearance against Brentford, Barry admitted he will be sad to see the record go as he opened up on how much the achievement meant.
“At the time you don’t really think about what you’re doing. I know it’s a cliche but you do take it game by game," he told The Sun.
“You aren’t sitting there thinking, ‘Can I get to 600 appearances or will I reach 650?’. You’re just in the moment, trying to prepare as best you can for the club you’re playing for. You don’t realise how big it is until you have finished.
“I’ll be walking around the streets now and that’s, generally, what people talk to you about. They’re pleased for you. They ask you about it and congratulate you on doing it. So, in that respect, I’ll be sad to see it go because it stands there as one of my biggest achievements in football."
Barry added: “But I will always be proud of it, even if Milly does beat it.”
The 44-year-old was full of praise for his ex-teammate. “I played with him at two clubs and know what type of character it’s taken to get there. I know how hard it is," added Barry.
“And I have seen how hard James works first-hand. If it goes to him, I know it’s going to someone who has worked for it, who knows what it’s like to put in the hard yards and make sacrifices. It hasn’t happened by fluke but by dedication."
“So, congratulations to him," the former midfielder added. "It has taken an enormous amount of hard work.”
Many have sent their congratulations to Milner after breaking the record, including former England teammate Wayne Rooney.
"Milly deserves to break the record," he told the BBC. "I think it's well known how professional he is and how hard he's worked all throughout his career.
"It's an incredible record and it just shows that when you work hard, it pays off. He's 40 now and players are playing until they're a bit older nowadays."
Rooney added: "We've seen that with [Cristiano] Ronaldo as well. It wouldn't surprise me if he goes on for another two or three years."
Topics: James Milner, Premier League, Brighton And Hove Albion, Brentford
Jack Kenmare