James Milner reflects on Jurgen Klopp, small shinpads and whether he really is boring

Kelly Somers: Well James… nice to see you. I always start these interviews by going back to the beginning. What would becoming the Premier League’s all-time record holder do to young James Milner, what you have achieved?

James Milner: Yeah, I guess that’s hard to say. I think when you’re that age, you’re just trying to get into the first team first and foremost… You get in there and stay there and then: ‘What’s the next thing?’ It’s always ‘what’s the next success?’ and it’s actually a ‘never rest on your laurels’ kind of thing. So yeah, I definitely wouldn’t think too far ahead; Forget thinking about 20-odd years from now and I’ll still be playing.

What are you doing? Was it all really surreal because there was so much understandable hype around… you hit the record… you were just about to break it and the fact that you did. It got pretty weird?

Milner: For me yes, honestly I get asked this topic a lot…

What are you doing? Sorry to add you to the list of people asking questions…

James: No, no… of course it’s a good thing that people accept that this is a big number. There are a lot of games but I’m really focused on doing my job for Brighton and if I can score it would be great. It wasn’t something where I thought, ‘Oh, I need to do this.’ Everyone asked a lot of questions about it, and I think the story at the time was, that’s the only reason I’m still playing, sort of. If you talk to me or anyone who knows me, I would like to contribute to my team and continue to help the club here.

There were some really nice memorial services and things like that. Obviously the messages I get, which are… I don’t want to belittle them and I don’t want to sound like they don’t matter because obviously it’s very nice and some of the things people are saying are great… but for me individual things are maybe something you look at when you’re done. For me it’s always about the team and just doing your job and hopefully I can continue to do that.

What are you doing? So what is your first football memory?

James: First football memory would be Leeds United winning the First Division title [in 1991-92] and my father takes me from the living room and throws me around and says: ‘Enjoy it; This may never happen again in your lifetime.’ I would have been five years old then.

What are you doing? Really? So at that point you knew he was Leeds for life?

James: Yeah, that was our first memory and then we started going to plays and stuff. I had a season ticket and yeah it went from there.

What are you doing? How about kicking the ball? Were you kicking then? Were you showing interest?

James: Yes, I meant maybe. I don’t remember most of it. I remember playing my first match with the local team. It was the Westbrook Juniors and we got beat 16-2 and it was like a full-size field, full-size goals. You have to come back from this score!

What are you doing? I love that it sticks with you – the real scorecard…exactly how many you conceded.

James: Yes like that. I played there for a season and then that team stopped and then the next team I played for was under 12s, I think I was nine. I was then scouted for Leeds.

What are you doing? I guess this dream wasn’t about your father picking you up?

James: Yes, it was really strange because until that moment I had never thought of becoming a football player in my childhood. Obviously you love football and I was playing football too, but it never occurred to me that I could do it on my own. Yeah, for whatever reason… So you’re nine years old and you’re really acting like a child. So, that was the first time and then I went and put on the Leeds training kit and had a go and… obviously as a Leeds fan it was special and it was a dream at the time.

What are you doing? Do you remember your first training session at Leeds?

James: I remember my first training with the reserves. David Batty was on one side of me and there was someone else on the other side of me and I was like ‘Oh my God’… it was like Batts… the legend! Once I got over that I was sent to the first team pretty quickly.

I don’t know if someone was sent on or if they needed a number one and it was: ‘Go try him in the first team.’ You don’t have time to think about it when you’re involved in this. I just remember his speed. It was like, ‘Wow, this is ridiculous.’

I remember something along the lines of ‘Welcome to the first team, kid.’ You are put to the test, you get yelled at if you give the ball to someone else. I remember breaking my nose during training. I got a pretty strong challenge from one of the young players in the first team. I was 16 and he was maybe 20. I got kicked in the face on the ground and broke my nose and… that was one of the first days.

You’ve got to toughen up and keep going, but you know, the seniors were great… [Danny] Mills and Gary Kelly and Mark Viduka. Alan Smith, you know, was someone I looked up to. He was the guy who came through the academy and scored with his first touch at Anfield and did what we all wanted to do.

Leeds’ academy has become so magnificent over the years… Harry Kewell and [Jonathan] Woodgate, Paul Robinson, Alan Smith… the list goes on.

Looking back now, being 16, just finished my GCSEs and being with the first team, it feels like ‘wow’ but at the time you’re just focused and trying to prove you belong.

What are you doing? 2002 was a pretty big year for you, wasn’t it? Was it your first goal in the Premier League, your promotion to the Premier League… and you were so young.

James: Yes, now when you look back you think how young you were. Three, four months ago I was sitting my GCSE exams and my friends were still in sixth form and they were coming to Elland Road to watch.

What are you doing? Do you remember your first goal?

James: Yes. I think maybe I would have come early for Harry Kewell. Jason Wilcox threw the ball and I caught it at the front post. And two days later we played at Elland Road – we played the 26th, the 28th – and you know, we went out early again – someone else got injured – and we were lucky enough to score again.