Ahead of the start of the Premier League 2020/21 season, we take a look at some of the former and current top-flight footballers to receive a knighthood, CBE, OBE or MBE British honour from Her Majesty The Queen.
What are knighthoods?
Knighthoods are honours awarded to individuals by the sovereign of the United Kingdom in recognition of achievements in or services to a particular field.
Individuals are deemed to be 'knighted' when they are awarded a medal or badge which signifies that they have been given the title of Knight Grand Cross or Knight Commander (Dame Grand Cross or Dame Commander in the case of women) of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.
The Knight Grand Cross/Dame Grand Cross (GBE) is the highest honour of the chivalric order, followed by Knight Commander/Dame Commander (KBE/DBE). Those who have received these honours are free to take the title Sir or Dame.
Below GBE and KBE, in order, are Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE), Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) and Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE).
Honorary knighthoods are awarded to citizens of countries where the British sovereign - in this case, the Queen - is not the head of state.
Footballers with British Honours - CBE, OBE, MBE, Knighthood
Currently, there are 15 football personalities who have been knighted for their services to the game (excluding honorary knighthoods). The first man thought to have received a knighthood for his services to football is Charles Clegg in June 1927. Though the citation did not mention football, Clegg was a former player who became both the chairman and president of the Football Association (FA).
Stanley Matthews is the only active footballer to receive a knighthood and is also regarded as the first footballer to be knighted. All members of the England squad for the 1966 World Cup winning team were awarded the MBE, while Bobby Charlton and Geoff Hurst have both since received knighthoods.
More recently, Kenny Dalglish received a knighthood 'For services to Football, to Charity and to the City of Liverpool' in 2018, while long-time Manchester United FC manager Alex Ferguson was also knighted 'For services to Association Football' in June 1999.
Active footballers with British honours
Currently, there are ten active players who have received Queen's Birthday or New Year honours and are set to play in the 2020/21 season:
Steven Davis MBE - Rangers FC
Jermain Defoe OBE - Rangers FC
Loren Dykes MBE - Cardiff City Ladies' FC
Jordan Henderson MBE - Liverpool FC
Steph Houghton MBE - Manchester City WFC
Jill Scott MBE - Manchester City WFC
Harry Kane MBE - Tottenham Hotspur FC
Marcus Rashford MBE - Manchester United FC
Raheem Sterling MBE - Manchester City FC
Fara Williams MBE - Reading FC Women
While seven players on the list received honours for services to football, Jermain Defoe received an OBE 'For services to the Jermain Defoe Foundation', Marcus Rashford received an MBE in 2020 Queen's Birthday Honours "For services to Vulnerable Children in the UK during Covid-19", and Raheem Sterling was awarded an MBE "For services to Racial Equality in Sport." As well as being awarded an MBE "For services to Football", Jordan Henderson also received his honours for services "to Charity particularly during the Covid-19 Pandemic."
Notable famous former footballers with British honours
Here are some recent former footballers who received British honours:
Alan Shearer* CBE
David Beckham OBE
Ryan Giggs OBE
Frank Lampard OBE
Rachel Yankey OBE
Karen Carney MBE
Gillian Coultard MBE
Steven Gerrard MBE
Aaron Hughes MBE
Gareth McAuley MBE
Alex Scott MBE
Kelly Smith MBE
Casey Stoney MBE
Faye White MBE
Ian Wright MBE
*Alan Shearer was also appointed an OBE in 2001
Foreign football players with honorary British honours
Anybody in the UK can make a recommendation for a British national to receive an honour. However, the Foreign Office does also recommend honorary awards for foreign nationals to be approved by Her Majesty The Queen. Currently there are five non-UK footballers to receive honorary British honours:
Henrik Larsson MBE (honorary)
Pelé KBE (honorary)
Niall Quinn MBE (honorary)
Peter Schmeichel MBE (honorary)
Gianfranco Zola OBE (honorary)