Liverpool’s James Milner turns 31 today, and here at Shoot! we’d like to wish the former England international a very happy birthday!

The midfielder, who has regularly been used as a left-back by manager Jurgen Klopp this season, began his career at boyhood club Leeds back in 2002, making his senior debut for the club in their 4-3 victory over West Ham on November 10.

He spent just two years at Elland Road before moving to Newcastle in 2004, where he appeared 136 times in a four-year stint in the North East.

Aston Villa then spent £12 million on the Englishman in 2008, and it was at Villa Park where he really made a name for himself, making his England debut in 2009, and going on to play 126 times for the Villans, netting 22 goals.

Milner then earned a £26 million move to Manchester City in 2010, and went on to win the Premier League twice and an FA Cup winners medal in his time at the Etihad, before moving to Liverpool in 2015.

He is now a key part of the squad at Anfield, and is looking to add a third Premier League title under Klopp this season.

And, given that it’s his birthday, we at Shoot! have brought you FIVE things you probably didn’t know about the 31-year-old…

He was talented at long-distance running, cricket, and sprinting

Not only was Milner talented at football back when he was a child, he was also good at several other sports, namely cricket, long-distance running, and sprinting.

He won the 100 metres at district level for two years in a row, and also was the undisputed cross-country winner, having won that for three straight years at his school.

Milner also played for the Yorkshire Schools cricket team, although football was always the avenue to go down, and he signed for Leeds academy at the age of ten.

He won every domestic trophy in his spell at Manchester City

Milner had a hugely successful time at Manchester City, and he won all four domestic trophies while in the North West.

He was part of the City team that won the FA Cup in 2010, albeit was an unused substitute in their 1-0 win over Stoke in the final at Wembley.

Milner then won his first Premier League title the season after, as City beat neighbours Manchester United on goal difference on the most thrilling of final days, before he added the Community Shield to his collection a few months later.

And, in his penultimate season in Manchester, Milner helped Manuel Pellegrini’s men win the League Cup in February, beating Sunderland 3-1 in the final, before adding his second league title just a few months later.

The most-capped England Under-21 player

Milner hasn’t played for the England Under-21s for eight years, but his tally of 46 caps is the most of any Englishman at that level.

He made his debut for his country against Sweden in 2004, and went on to score nine times in 45 further games for the Three Lions, before receiving his first call-up to the senior squad in August 2009.

Chelsea’s Nathaniel Chalobah and Southampton’s Nathan Redmond are second on the list with 34 caps, still some way behind the Liverpool man.

He was named in the PFA Team of the Year back in 2010

Milner had arguably his best season of his career back in 2009/10, and was deservedly named in the PFA Team of the Year.

He netted 12 times in 49 games in all competitions for Aston Villa that season, helping Martin O’Neill’s side to a sixth place finish in the Premier League and to the League Cup final, although they lost to Manchester United.

He was joined in the team by the likes of Cesc Fabregas, Wayne Rooney, and Didier Drogba, and that was also the year that he won the PFA Young Player of the Year, the second time in two years that it was won by a Villa player following Ashley Young’s achievement the year before.

He has never had an alcoholic drink in his life

Milner has never had an alcoholic drink, as he always wanted to make sure that he gave himself as good a chance as possible to succeed in the game.

He told the Daily Mail earlier this year: ‘I tried my old man’s Strongbow when I was young.

‘But when I came through at Leeds, I made that decision that if it helped me not drinking then I wouldn’t.’

Fair play James!