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The Premier League is widely regarded as one of the most competitive football leagues in the world. That has seen several world-class players, both home-grown and from abroad, ply their trade in the competition over the years.
The trend holds true even now, as there is no substitute for experience. These experienced campaigners have proven their ability to thrive in the Premier League. That has helped their teams reap rich dividends, be it keeping them afloat in the English top flight, qualifying for Europe or contending for the title.
On that note, here's a look at the ten active players with the most Premier League appearances at the moment.
Note: All stats are as per transfermarkt unless mentioned otherwise.
Premier League: Active players with most appearances
#10 Jonny Evans (Leicester City) - 327
Jonny Evans is one of the most decorated active defenders in the Premier League at the moment.
The three-time Premier League winner has made over 300 appearances in the competition, most of them (151) coming for Manchester United. Now at Leicester City since the 2018-19 season, the 33-year-old has been a mainstay of the Foxes' rearguard.
Evans played a key role for Leicester City in the last two seasons, missing only ten games, as the Foxes narrowly missed out on the Champions League. He has made only two appearances this season, though, because of an injury he sustained last campaign.
#9 Shane Long (Southampton) - 332
Shane Long has made over 300 Premier League appearances for four different clubs since his competitive debut in 2006-07.
Long, who has been at Southampton since the start of the 2014-15 season, has had modest returns in the competition, though. The 34-year-old centre-forward has scored just 27 league goals in his last seven full seasons. Long has not netted in the Premier League since the 2019-20 campaign.
Nevertheless, he scored the fastest Premier League goal for Southampton in the competition's history during that season. He did so by netting in only 7.69 seconds after kick-off against Watford.
Since debuting in the Premier League in 2006-07, Long has tallied a double-digit goal haul only once, scoring ten times for Southampton in 2015-16.
#8 David de Gea (Manchester United) - 347
David de Gea is one of the longest active goalkeepers in the Premier League. Since debuting in the competition for Manchester United in 2011-12, the Spaniard has made close to 350 Premier League appearances, keeping 124 clean sheets.
The 2012-13 Premier League winner has played at least 26 league games in each of his ten full seasons in the competition. With his 100th league shutout in 2019, De Gea became only the 15th custodian in Premier League history to achieve the milestone.
After a blip in form saw him lose his place to Dean Henderson, De Gea is back to his best this season, playing all eight games. However, he will be concerned about keeping only one clean sheet during this period. That is something he needs to improve on if United wish to end their near decade-long Premier League drought.
#7 Jordan Henderson (Liverpool) - 368
Jordan Henderson has made over 350 appearances in the Premier League for two different clubs.
Since making his league debut for Sunderland in 2008-09, the midfielder moved to Liverpool in the summer of 2011-12, and has stayed there since. He is not the best player on the star-studded Reds' roster, but Henderson scripted history in 2020 when he became the first Liverpool captain to lift the Premier League title.
A combative presence in midfield, Henderson doesn't make too many goal contributions. Nevertheless, he has 31 goals and 50 assists in the Premier League, all but 13 of them coming for Liverpool.
Henderson has scored at least once in each of his last 12 Premier League seasons, excluding his debut campaign. He is yet to open his account this season, though.
#6 Ben Forster (Watford) - 368
Ben Forster has been in the Premier League for more than a decade. He was tipped to be the next big thing when he arrived at Manchester United in the summer of 2007.
However, costly errors in limited opportunities with the first team meant Forster soon became surplus to requirements at Old Trafford. The 38-year-old joined Birmingham City in the summer of 2010, where he stayed for seven years before signing for Watford in 2018.
Forster is ten shutouts shy of entering the Premier League's 100-clean sheets club. He is yet to keep one in four games this season.
#5 Theo Walcott (Southampton) - 372
Theo Walcott has made over 370 appearances in the Premier League for three different clubs. He has made most of his appearances (270) in the competition with Arsenal, where he spent 12 seasons.
Once termed the new Thierry Henry when he first broke out at the Gunners in the mid-2000s, Walcott has largely failed to live up to that hype. The 32-year-old winger's return of 78 goals and 60 assists can be termed modest, at best.
Walcott has scored only five three Premier League goals in his last four league campaigns.
#4 Ashley Young (Aston Villa) - 374
Ashley Young has made over 370 Premier League appearances for three different clubs.
After making his competition debut with Watford in 2006-07, Young had a successful four-season stint with Aston Villa. The winger then moved to Manchester United, where he enjoyed a highly productive near decade-long stint.
Following a season-long stint in Serie A, Young has returned to Villa this summer, making five appearances.
The versatile Young has played all across the field, except goalkeeper. He has tallied 47 goals and 86 assists in the Premier League thus far. He won his lone Premier League title with Manchester United in 2013.
#3 Aaron Lennon (Burnley) - 392
Aaron Lennon is one of the youngest players to have appeared in the Premier League.
The winger has been in the Premier League for almost two decades. He has racked up almost 400 appearances in the competition for four different clubs since debuting in 2003-04.
Lennon's most productive Premier League stint came with Tottenham Hotspur, where he scored 24 goals and bagged 52 assists across nine seasons. Now with Burnley, whom he joined in 2017-18, the former Spurs player has scored just one goal in his last five full Premier League campaigns.
#2 Mark Noble (West Ham United) - 405
Mark Noble is one of the last remaining vestiges of the one-club man. Since debuting in the Premier League for West Ham United in 2005-06, the midfielder recently made his 400th league appearance for The Hammers.
That's a milestone achieved by only seven other players for a single club in the history of the Premier League. Noble has accumulated 46 goals and 42 assists for the London club during his stint in the English top flight.
Noble has not come close to winning the Premier League title, but he has been a consistent performer in the competition for West Ham. Excluding his debut campaign and last season, Noble has had at least one goal contribution in 13 consecutive Premier League campaigns.
In his most prolific season in the competition, Noble scored seven times and provided four assists in 2015-16.
#1 James Milner (Liverpool) - 568
James Milner, like Lennon, became one of the youngest players to appear in the Premier League when he played his first game in the competition for Leeds United in 2002-03.
Almost two decades later, the Liverpool midfielder has amassed over 550 more appearances in the English top flight for six different clubs. The 35-year-old Englishman recently became one of the oldest Liverpool players to register a Premier League assist.
Although age is beginning to catch up with him, the indefatigable midfielder remains a key player in Jurgen Klopp's team. He starred with two goals and as many assists in the Reds' triumphant Premier League campaign in 2019-20.
Milner has scored 55 goals and provided 87 assists in the Premier League, including 19 goals and 26 assists for Liverpool.
