A day in the life of James Milner

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The midfielder goes above and beyond to make sure he's in top condition.

Nick Szczepanik

2026-02-28T20:00+00:00

James Milner has made 42 appearances for Albion in all competitions. 📸 by Paul Hazlewood.

James Milner has given details of the punishing regime that has allowed him to play Premier League football in his 40s.

“It's many, many different things that you have to do,” he said. “I think being teetotal has been a massive help. And then, obviously, as the game developed, when I first started playing at Leeds United, I had maybe one, two physios, maybe a part-time masseur, one fitness coach. Now you've got five, six fitness coaches. You've got seven or eight in the medical team.

“I always ask questions. ‘Why are we doing this? Give me the science behind it. Why am I doing an ice bath? Where's the proof to that?’ And now I save ice baths for after games, whereas some people like ice baths every single day. So everyone's completely different in what works for them, I suppose. And I was fortunate that my career coincided with sports science coming in, and diet. And the food here is incredible and the chefs and the nutritionist. And then you need the mindset to take advantage of that.”

A day in the life of James Milner is very different from the days when players trained for a couple of hours in the morning before heading for the golf course or snooker hall.

“I always have breakfast at the club. It depends on the training week. So some days will be more protein based, omelette, things like that. But then when it's day before the game, you might be doing more carbs because you're loading for the game. I eat lunch at the club as well.

“Before training, I have treatment, go in the gym and do a bit before the meeting and then come out, do another [session] in the gym, which is different movements and pre-activation. It gets longer and longer as you get older because it's just little injuries you've had and you have to stay on top of. So carbs, isos [isometric exercises], movement prep, hurdles.

Babis Kostoulas has made 21 appearances for Albion so far this campaign. 📸 by James Boardman.

“Go out on the pitch, train and then after training it’ll be uppers and core, tomorrow will be maybe just core and then the day after that, after training will be leg weights before the day off. Some days I might go in the spa or sauna, yoga a couple of times a week, which I probably started maybe eight or nine years ago now, which I think Gareth Barry put me on to actually. I've passed it on to Babis [Kostoulas]. He's only 18, so he's starting young.

“At home, because I live on my own down here, it's pretty boring to be honest, which will shock you! I normally eat a steak and rice or veg, something simple. Sleep's pretty critical, more supplements before bed. I've taken magnesium for years and you have your joint support, omega-3 and all those things and drinking the right things and enough fluid and things like that really.”

Even that punishing regime does not guarantee the fitness levels required to play every Premier League game. But Milner is keen to continue to contribute.

“I'm not going to play every single game,” he said. “There's going to be certain games which I'm suited to more than others. Again, we've got all these young players that we're trying to help for the future. If you're playing every single game with a team of players who are really old, that's probably not in the best interest of the club going forward. So it's such a tough balancing act to get that right.

James Milner joined Albion in summer 2023. 📸 by Paul Hazlewood.

“I think the environment is here for the young players and the patience they are shown, the opportunity they are given and the amount of work the coaches and analysts do with them. Whereas if you go up to a higher level then you are expected to know this stuff straight away.

“But here you are given time, a chance to make mistakes, second chances, third chances and there’s a real care around the learning. And for the senior players it’s a role they are given to push that along.

“Every day, you're talking to Carlos [Baleba] and trying to help him in training. But there's nothing like being on the pitch. I'd love to get ten games on the pitch with Carlos in midfield and help him and push him through the game. That'd be amazing. But it’s the Premier League so you don't get that luxury of being able to do that. So that's, again, in itself, a balancing act.

James Milner has said he'd love the opportunity to play a number of games with Carlos Baleba. 📸 by Paul Hazlewood.

But there’s a role there because it’s tough to have a team full of younger players and there’s not too many in that prime 27- or 28-year old age group, it’s both ends really. “It says a lot about the group where you can have two ends of the spectrum and everyone gets on. The team spirit is fantastic and it has been strange the last three or four weeks, the run we’ve been on and yet the atmosphere hasn’t felt like a club which is struggling.

"Credit must go to the manager, the captain and the environment which has been built. The win at Brentford was one result and it doesn’t change the season, but it hopefully puts a little more confidence in the boys to finish the season in a strong way and affirm the quality we have in the group.”

And will he be fit to face Forest after a gruelling 89 minutes at Brentford? “Yeah, I had cramp at the end, they were looking at bringing me off a bit earlier. I said, ‘I'm all right for the time being.’ And then Dunky asked me to cover one last run. And the calf said no...”