LIVERPOOL: Liverpool’s James Milner has said that proving people wrong has always been a motivating factor for the footballer.“I think it’s just will to win, I suppose, and the drive to be the best you can every day. I think when you lose that you need to retire pretty quick. I’m very competitive in everything you do: training [or] if it’s games, you want to win. Proving people wrong still, it has always been a big driver for me,” the club’s official website quoted Milner as saying. The midfielder, who turned 35 in January, also said: “Every interview you do now your age is brought up. I still feel fine in myself, so why not push for as long as you can? You’re a long time retired, so I want to keep going and keep pushing myself.“Obviously it’s very short term when you get to this age because anything can happen; we know that in football anyway, even when you’re younger. But so far I feel good, I still feel no different to what I did five, seven, eight, 10 years ago in terms of covering the distance in games and things like that. It’s no different. So, crack on,” he added.Liverpool is now the team Milner has served the longest as a senior pro, following his spells with Leeds United, Newcastle United, Aston Villa and Manchester City. The No.7 has amassed 243 appearances and 26 goals over the course of what will soon be six completed seasons at Anfield.Milner further stated that he wants to have an impact on the club and contribute on the field as much as he can.“Especially when you’re at a club like Liverpool and the demand is there every day to win, the players around you, the competition for places and the level they’re at every day, you have to be at your level otherwise you’re not going to be anywhere near it,” Milner said.“The thing I’ve always said since I’ve been here is I just want to have an impact on the club and contribute on the field as much as I can. And sometimes that comes into when you’re not playing — how can you contribute with the team in terms of training and the other side of it? It’s the same reason why you’re driven every day to be at 100 per cent — because you want to be part of something successful,” he added.Liverpool will take on Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday.
