Longevity in the Premier League can be a rare occurrence. But, some players are fortunate enough to make several hundreds of appearances over the years. And in this list, we take a look at the top ten players with the most appearances in the Premier League.
10. Phil Neville (Manchester United & Everton) – 505
Alongside his brother Gary, Phil Neville came through the Manchester United academy and went on to win six Premier League titles with the Red Devils. He also featured for Everton in a relatively small capacity.
9. Jamie Carragher (Liverpool) – 508
Carragher is among the best centre-backs in the Premier League for Liverpool, despite holding the record of the second most own goals scored (7). After hanging up his boots, he is now in the news as a popular football pundit.
8. Mark Schwarzer (Middlesbrough & Fulham) – 514
Schwarzer featured for a number of Premier League clubs such as Chelsea, Middlesbrough, Fulham and Leicester City. He was a part of the title winning squad for Leicester, and hung up his boots in 2016. Schwarzer remains the only non-European player to make more than 500 PL appearances.
7. Emile Heskey (Liverpool & Leicester City) – 516
Most of his career silverware came with Liverpool, but Heskey could not manage to lift the Premier League with them. He scored 111 goals in 516 appearances for Liverpool, Leicester, Wigan, Birmingham and Aston Villa.
6. Gary Speed (Leeds & Newcastle United) – 535
Gary Speed was a well-respected midfielder, scoring 80 goals in 535 Premier League appearances. He featured for Leeds, Everton, Newcastle and Bolton. The player lifted the Premier League trophy with Leeds in 1992.
5. James Milner (Manchester City & Liverpool) – 570
James Milner is the only active player on the list, and has won the Premier League title with Manchester City and Liverpool. He is known for his versatility on the pitch, and ability to play in a number of positions.
4. David James (Liverpool & West Ham) – 572
David James has made the highest number of appearances in the league for a goalkeeper. The player only has two more appearances than Milner at the time of writing, and will possibly drop down to fifth soon.
3. Frank Lampard (West Ham & Chelsea) – 609
Frank Lampard started his career with West Ham, and went on to be a club legend on the other side of the city, with Chelsea. After being released by them, he went on to feature for Manchester City and a brief spell in America before hanging up his boots.
2. Ryan Giggs (Manchester United) – 632
Ryan Giggs featured for Manchester United throughout his Premier League and football career. He won the league title 13 times with the Red Devils, and also holds the record for the most assists in the English top flight.
1. Gareth Barry (Aston Villa & Man City) – 653
Featuring for Aston Villa, Manchester City, West Brom and Everton, Gareth Barry has the most Premier League appearances of all time. The player won the league title with Manchester City in 2012, and retired from professional football in 2020, last featuring for West Brom.
