CELTIC and Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish – know as King Kenny to supporters of both clubs – is now officially Sir Kenny after being knighted at Buckingham Palace today by the Heir to the British Throne, Prince Charles.
Dalglish was knighted for his services to football, charity and the City of Liverpool and while most, if not all Celtic supporters have little time for these accolades and what they represent, it is fair to say that Dalglish for his actions as a man after Hillsborough, thoroughly deserves any recognition that comes his way.
Indeed you have to ask yourself why it has taken so long for the Royal household to recognise Dalglish’s outstanding service as a footballer for Celtic, Scotland and Liverpool, as a manager at Liverpool and as a man regarding the aftermath to the terrible events at Hillsborough.
It’s also worth remembering that Jock Stein was not given a Knighthood after becoming the first manager in Great Britain to win the European Cup in 1966 but the Manchester United manager from 1968 Sir Matt Busby was given this honour from Buckingham Palace, as indeed was Sir Alf Ramsey for his efforts in the home based World Cup in 1966.
After today’s ceremony Sir Kenny spoke about the Hillsborough families, who are never far away from his thoughts.
“They were fantastically supportive of the football club and at that instance it was important for us to turn supporter.
“They needed a bit of help, we wanted to help them, and I’m sure they would have done the same for us – I think that’s what life is all about.”
On the Knighthood, Sir Kenny was humbled by the experience and talked about his early ambition own life was simply to play the beautiful game – which he did with considerable style for his two clubs and of course the national side.
“You feel humble. When you start off in your life, what do you want? You just want to play football,” Kenny said.
“And when you play football, what do you want to do? You want to try and be successful, be a professional footballer, try and win something.
“When you look back every night you’ve had a game and you’ve won is a magical night, the only ones that aren’t magical are the ones that you’ve lost.
“I’ve been very fortunate with the people I’ve worked with in football, both as a player and a manager, they’ve been fantastic people.
“And the two football clubs I’ve played for Celtic and Liverpool – the two most successful clubs of the era I was playing in – I’ve been fortunate as well, you always need a bit of luck to get a bit of success.”
Well done Sir Kenny!
"It's a wee bit embarrassing… but very proud as well."
Celtic, Liverpool and Scotland legend Kenny Dalglish receives a knighthood.
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— BBC Sportsound (@BBCSportsound) November 16, 2018
