Liverpool Star James Milner Reveals Why His Dad Banned Him From Wearing Red as a Child

Liverpool midfielder James Milner has revealed that he was actually banned from wearing red as a child because of his father's intense dislike of Manchester

Liverpool midfielder James Milner has revealed that he was actually banned from wearing red as a child because of his father's intense dislike of Manchester United.

Milner grew up in a Leeds-supporting household and was on the books at Elland Road from the age of 10, making his debut for the club in 2002 and becoming the second-youngest Premier League player ever at the time.

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With the exception of a one-month loan spell at Swindon in 2003, Milner had never played for a club with red as their home colours until he joined Liverpool in 2015.

Asked by FourFourTwo readers whether the stories about his dad's red ban were accurate, Milner remarkably revealed: "It's true, yes. Obviously Leeds fans are brought up to dislike Manchester United, as rivals, so red wasn’t allowed. 

"I didn’t have any red shirts or anything, and the first time I ever wore it was probably for England. He did joke when I signed for Liverpool that it was the first time he’d be happy to see me regularly in red."

I once tweeted that I didn’t really know what @JamesMilner was on the football pitch. I do these days, and owe him an apology. He’s a terrific, versatile and intelligent footballer. My bad.

— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) September 15, 2018

Milner is now recognised as one of Liverpool's most important players and was widely praised this week for a superb performance against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.

He converted the penalty which put the Reds 2-0 up in the first half - his second goal of the season and 17th for the club overall.