Ben Guest
Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish has received the ultimate honour of being knighted in the Queens birthday honours list. Arise Sir Kenny!
Dalglish is a hero on Merseyside, but not only for his achievements as a player and a manager, but for his actions in the aftermath of the Hillsbrough disaster back in 1989.
96 Liverpool fans sadly passed away during an FA Cup semi-final after a series of blunders by South Yorkshire police and stadium officials created deadly conditions in the Leppings Lane end of the Stadium.
As the club’s manager at the time, he selflessly made himself available to the families of the bereaved, attending most of the funerals, organising hospital visits, and attending annual memorial services held at Anfield. He has been a steadfast supporter of the families in their quest for justice throughout the Hillsborough Inquiry, and was recently granted the Freedom of the City of Liverpool in recognition of his work.
Speaking about when he learned the news, Sir Kenny said he had no idea about the honour, and even thought the letter was ‘from the taxman’:
“I thought it was a letter from the taxman,” said Sir Kenny.
“I opened it and I saw a wee bit of the crown and I thought, ‘We better have a look at this’.
“But as I went to open it the door bell went, so I handed it to Marina and said ‘here’. She went, ‘Oh…’ And that was it.”
He added that while he is ‘immensely proud’ and he feels that it is an honour for the whole family, it doesn’t make any difference to him on a personal level:
“I don’t think it makes me any different,” said Sir Kenny. “It’s for yourself and for everyone who has been associated with you through the years, from your parents to your professional career.
“We are immensely proud as a whole family to have got it but everyone should feel proud because they have all played a very important role in what we’ve done and where we have got to.
“I don’t understand the process you have to go through to get this but obviously a lot of people must have pushed forward and in their wisdom put my name forward for the accolade, which is hugely humbling but also very gratifying as well.”
During his time as a player he 10 League titles, four with Celtic and six with Liverpool as well as three European cups with the Reds in 1978, 1981 and 1984.
He went on to win three more league titles at Anfield as a manager, before guiding Blackburn Rovers to the Premier League title back in 1995.
CHECK OUT 10 OF THE BEST QUOTES ABOUT SIR KENNY DALGLISH