SIR Kenny Dalglish said he was ‘humbled’ as he received his knighthood at Buckingham Palace today.
The former Liverpool and Scotland footballer was given the honour to recognise his outstanding football career and also his contributions following the Hillsborough tragedy.
Known as King Kenny on Merseyside, the former player and manager said it was his duty to “turn supporter” and help Liverpool families in the aftermath of the disaster in 1989.
Sir Kenny, who writes a weekly column for The Sunday Post, was dubbed a knight by the Prince of Wales during a Buckingham Palace investiture ceremony for services to football, charity and the city of Liverpool.
Speaking after the ceremony, Sir Kenny said about the Hillsborough families: “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.”
WATCH: Kenny Dalglish knighted at Buckingham Palace
Read more: https://t.co/EKkw3zKxmV pic.twitter.com/vv9oQePyE3— STV News (@STVNews) November 16, 2018
Sir Kenny was the Scottish international striker who became a star of English football when he filled the gap left by the departing Liverpool hero Kevin Keegan at Anfield after a trophy-laden spell at Celtic.
He went on to become a Kop legend, winning three European Cups and six league titles with the club.
As a manager he performed the rare feat of winning top-flight league championship titles with two different clubs, Liverpool and Blackburn Rovers.
He also briefly served as Director of Football at Celtic, and also took charge as interim manager following the sacking of John Barnes.
A knighthood for our King. ?@kennethdalglish reacts to the news that he will become Sir Kenny Dalglish: https://t.co/bQlt2zmiCL pic.twitter.com/6kQX5mFnCH
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) June 8, 2018
Speaking about becoming a Sir, he said: “You feel humble. When you start off in your life, what do you want? You just want to play football.
“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.”
Read Sir Kenny’s latest thoughts on all things football every week inside The Sunday Post’s PostMatch supplement
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