Full list of footballers that have received UK honours | OneFootball

The British Crown recognises people in all industries by awarding them honours. Football is no different, and the British monarchy has recognised some of the game's biggest names for their services to the beautiful game. The likes of Sir Alex Ferguson, Sir Bobby Robson, Sir Bobby Charlton and Sir Kenny Dalglish are some of the most notable names to have been honoured with a knighthood from the football world.

It is not only knighthoods that are bestowed on individuals. There are also lower-ranked honours such as CBEs, OBEs and MBEs, and several football players have been recognised with those. GIVEMESPORT details those individuals who have been honoured for their services to the game or players who have been honoured for their services to different charities.

Explanation of Knighthoods

Knighthoods are given to individuals for services to their given industry and are awarded by the sovereign of the United Kingdom. When an individual is awarded a knighthood they are given a badge or a medal which signifies the individual has been awarded the title of Knight Grand Cross. The Knight Grand Cross/Dame Grand Cross is the highest honour of the chivalric order, followed by the Knight Commander/Dame Commander. The individuals who receive these honours are free to use the title of Sir or Dame.

Honorary knighthoods are also awarded. They are awarded to individuals in countries where the British Sovereign is not the head of state. For instance, Pele was awarded an honorary knighthood in 1997 for his services to football. Football figures to have been knighted form an exclusive group, with not as many being awarded a knighthood as expected.

The odd one out on the list is Pele, who could not use the title of Sir unless he became a British citizen. One of the most recent knighthoods in football came in the shape of Liverpool legend, Kenny Dalglish, who was awarded a knighthood back in 2018. Given that only 15 individuals have been knighted, it is a clear indication of just how prestigious and rare of an award it is.

Sir Trevor Brooking

In 2004, Trevor Brooking received a knighthood on the Queen's birthday honours list. Brooking spent his entire playing career at West Ham United, scoring 88 goals in 521 appearances for the club. Brooking also made 47 England appearances, scoring five goals; his one appearance at a World Cup in Spain in 1982 was disrupted by injury.

Brooking also took caretaker charge of West Ham from April 2003 to October 2003. He took charge of a total of 14 games, winning 9, drawing 4 and suffering only 1 defeat during that time. The Hammers legend initially took charge of the final three games of the 2002/20023 season, after Glenn Roeder collapsed due to a brain tumour. Wins against Manchester City and Chelsea, and a draw against Birmingham City on the final day of the season weren't enough for West Ham to survive, and they were relegated despite picking up 42 points - a record for a relegated side during a 38-game campaign.

Sir Matt Busby

Matt Busby was awarded a CBE in 1958 and was knighted ten years later following the European Cup victory in 1968. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest managers the game has ever seen. Before his management days, Busby was a player for two of Manchester United's fiercest rivals, Manchester City and Liverpool.

Busby was part of the Munich air disaster and suffered multiple injuries, which resulted in him receiving his last rites twice. After nine weeks of treatment in the hospital, he was finally discharged. Busby was not aware of the full extent of the disaster until three weeks after the crash, as doctors did not believe he was strong enough to know the truth. In total, eight players lost their lives in the Munich air disaster; Geoff Bent, Roger Byrne, Eddie Colman, Duncan Edwards, Mark Jones, David Pegg, Tommy Taylor and Liam Whelan were the eight to pass away and were all under the age of 30.

Sir Bobby Charlton

Along with Busby, Bobby Charlton was one of the few survivors of the Munich air disaster. He was 20 years old at the time of the air disaster which makes his career all the more astonishing. Charlton was part of the England team that won the 1966 World Cup and also won the Ballon d'Or that year. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players the game has ever seen - he also finished second in the Ballon d'Or voting in 1967 and 1968.

He was Manchester United's all-time leading goalscorer before Wayne Rooney broke it in 2017. In 758 appearances for the Red Devils, Charlton scored 249 goals. Including international appearances, Charlton played 918 times throughout his career, scoring 312 goals. For Charlton to survive such a horrible disaster and come back to have an illustrious career, says everything about the strength of character he had.

Sir Charles Clegg

Charles Clegg started as a player, representing Sheffield FC, and Sheffield Association. After his playing career had ended he became a referee, taking charge of two FA Cup Finals in 1882 and ten years later in 1892, as well as a match between Scotland and Wales in 1888 and England vs Scotland in 1893.

While still in a career as a referee, Clegg founded Sheffield United in March 1889. In his role as president of Sheffield United Cricket Club, he proposed there should be a football club based at Bramall Lane, and this is how Sheffield United Football Club was born. Clegg's football legacy didn't stop there, as he became chairman of the Football Association in 1890. A true football man in every sense of the word.

Sir Kenny Dalglish

Kenny Dalglish was knighted in 2018 and remains one of the most recent football figures to have received a knighthood. During his playing days, Dalglish helped a dominant Liverpool side to three European Cups in seven years. In what was an incredible playing career, Dalglish 345 goals in 853 appearances. After his career on the pitch had finished, he managed Liverpool, Blackburn and Newcastle United. His management career was just as successful as his playing career, winning the First Division title with Liverpool three times, as well as the FA Cup twice with the club. Dalglish also lifted the Premier League with Blackburn in 1994/95.

Dalglish and his wife Marina raised more than £10 million for a charity that helps and supports families of the victims of the Hillsborough disaster. He is rightly regarded as a legend not just for his football career, but the work he does for those impacted by the disaster. Liverpool Football Club named a stand after him in 2017.

Sir Alex Ferguson

Alex Ferguson was given a knighthood in 1999, one month after he saw his Manchester United side complete the treble by lifting the Champions League, thanks to a dramatic late victory over Bayern Munich in Barcelona. The Champions League trophy added to the FA Cup and Premier League triumphs saw Manchester United win what was an unprecedented treble in England at the time.

Ferguson has won more trophies as a manager than anyone else in the history of football. He won an incredible 38 trophies during his time with Manchester United, including 13 Premier League titles, five FA Cups and two Champions Leagues. The Scotsman quite rightly goes down as a Manchester United and Premier League legend.

Sir Tom Finney

A Preston North End and England legend, Finney was given a knighthood in 1998, after previously receiving an OBE in 1961 and a CBE in 1992. In 474 appearances for Preston, Finney scored an incredible 210 goals. This was at a time when the ball and quality of the pitches were a lot different than they are in the present day.

Finney made 76 appearances for England, scoring 30 goals, a record that puts him in the top 10 all-time goalscorers for the national team. His total of 30 goals for his country is equal to Alan Shearer and Nat Lofthouse. Finney was a footballing great and rightly talked about as among the best to have played the game.

Sir Geoff Hurst

Geoff Hurst became the first and only player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final until Kylian Mbappe followed suit in 2022. Hurst's hat-trick came against West Germany during a 4-2 victory in 1966, which clinched the World Cup for England that year. Not only does he go down in England folklore, but he is also seen as a legend at West Ham United.

Hurst played 500 games for the Hammers, scoring 242 goals in the process. He won the FA Cup with West Ham in 1964, as well as the FA Charity Shield in the same year, and the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1964/65. He also appeared over 100 times for Stoke City, scoring 39 goals in 130 appearances for the club.

Sir Stanley Matthews

Stanley Matthews is regarded as one of the greatest players of the British game and is the only individual to have been awarded a knighthood while he was still playing. Matthews was also the first winner of the European Footballer of the Year award and the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year.

Matthews made over 800 appearances throughout his career, winning the FA Cup with Blackpool in 1953 and the Football League War Cup 1942-43. He also had individual success too, winning the Ballon d'Or in 1956. Matthews is regarded as a legend for both Stoke City and Blackpool - he made 355 appearances for the former and 428 appearances for the latter in what was an incredible career. Matthews also appeared 54 times for England, scoring 11 times.

Sir Bert Millichip

Bert Millichip was given a knighthood in 1991 and was often described as a gentleman by those who knew him best. He became chairman of the FA in 1981, with his reign coinciding with a period in which the English game suffered some heartbreaking tragedies such as: the Heysel Stadium disaster, the Bradford City stadium fire, and the Hillsborough disaster.

His indecision over the appointment of Terry Venables as manager of the national team, while the Hillsborough disaster was still under investigation, led to journalist, Brian Glanville, dubbing him 'Bert the inert'. Millichip retired from the FA in 1996, before being awarded a FIFA Order of Merit award in 1998.

Pele

The only honorary knighthood on the list. Pele was a footballing god widely regarded as one of the greatest-ever players and one of the best Brazilian players the country has seen. His record with the Brazilian side, Santos, was breathtaking - in 659 appearances for the club, Pele scored an incredible 643 goals.

Pele also made 92 appearances for the Brazilian national team, scoring 77 goals in the process, and was the country's all-time leading goalscorer until Neymar broke the record in 2023. Pele won an astonishing 37 trophies throughout his glittering career including three World Cups, while on an individual level, he won the Ballon d'Or seven times. A truly remarkable player, and the very best of his generation.

Sir Alf Ramsey

The manager of the England team from 1963-1974 which included a World Cup triumph in 1966, Sir Alf Ramsey was knighted on the back of the Three Lions' glory a year later. As a player, he was a defender and a part of the England 1950 World Cup squad, making 32 appearances for his country, while he appeared over 300 times combined for Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur.

He lifted the First and Second Division titles with Spurs as a player, but his management career in terms of honours was more successful, winning the First, Second and Third Division titles with Ipswich Town, and the World Cup with England in 1966. Ramsey racked up 510 games as a manager, winning 256 of them, thus giving him a win percentage of 50.2%.

Sir Dave Richards

Dave Richards became chairman of Sheffield Wednesday in March 1990 before becoming chairman of the Premier League in 1999, leaving his position at Sheffield Wednesday shortly afterwards, with the club facing relegation from the Premier League. In the Queen's birthday honours in 2006, Richards was knighted for services to sport.

Richards was not without his controversies, however. In 2012 it emerged from the Hillsborough Independent panel enquiry that he refused to put up a memorial at Hillsborough on legal advice, for the Liverpool supporters who died in the Hillsborough disaster in April 1989. Richards also caused controversy after Qatar was announced as the host of the 2022 World Cup, suggesting UEFA and FIFA had stolen football from the English.

Sir Bobby Robson

A true gentleman of the game, and arguably one of the most underrated managers the game has ever seen. Robson was knighted in 2002 for services to football, and he was also given the freedom of Newcastle Upon Tyne and the UEFA President's Awards for services to football in the same year. A year later, in 2003, he was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame.

Many forget that Robson was a fine football player in his own right, with two spells at Fulham sandwiched between seven seasons at West Bromwich Albion. Robson also appeared 20 times for England. He managed nine sides, including England and Barcelona, while he oversaw 1,446 games during his career, winning 718 of them and thereby giving him a win percentage of 49.65%.

Sir Stanley Rous

Stanley Rous was a referee and was later appointed the sixth President of FIFA, serving from 1961-1974. He played football at an amateur level, but he was forced to retire from playing after breaking his wrist. He qualified as a referee in 1927 and officiated his first international match as Belgium beat The Netherlands 2-0 in Antwerp.

In total, Rous officiated in 34 international matches and domestically became one of the most notable referees. He officiated the 1934 FA Cup Final as Manchester City beat Portsmouth 2-1 at Wembley Stadium. Rous made a major contribution to football by rewriting the laws of the game and making them much easier to understand.

Sir Walter Winterbottom

Walter Winterbottom was the very first manager of the England national side from 1946-1962. Not only was Winterbottom the first manager of England but also the youngest and longest-serving manager of the side. He later became FA Director of Coaching and made crucial contributions to coaching in English football.

Winterbottom's passion for coaching saw him create a national coaching scheme. He persuaded some of his international players to take the courses that led to full coaching badges. Notable names such as Bobby Robson, Jimmy Hill and Ron Greenwood all took part in the courses and gave the scheme credibility.

As with knighthoods, the list of individuals from the world of football to be awarded a CBE is an exclusive group, with just nine people from the football industry to be awarded one. While knighthoods and CBEs have a small number of people to have been awarded the titles, OBEs form a much larger group of people.

Alan Shearer

Alan Shearer was awarded a CBE in 2016 following a brilliant playing career, resulting in him becoming Newcastle United's all-time leading scorer and the all-time leading scorer in the Premier League. Over 559 appearances for Southampton, Blackburn and Newcastle combined, Shearer scored a whopping 283 goals.

After calling time on his playing career, Shearer had a brief spell as manager of Newcastle United, during his 8 games in charge he managed just one victory and two draws which weren't enough to save the club from relegation. Shearer quickly turned to punditry and has been a part of BBC's Match of the Day since 2006.

Roy Hodgson

A manager who has quite the CV boasting the likes of Inter Milan, Udinese, Switzerland, Finland, Fulham, England and Liverpool as teams he has managed throughout his incredible managerial career. He won the Swedish Championship with Malmo in 1986 and 1988, as well as the Danish Superliga in 2000/01.

During his time as a manager, Hodgson has racked up over 1,000 games for his various teams. He is seen as a safe pair of hands by many in the game and a big reason Crystal Palace placed their trust in him for a second spell in charge just two years after his first had come to an end. Hodgson has managed 22 sides in eight different countries and has had a huge impact on the game.

Football Figures Awarded OBEs

Three individuals have been awarded honorary OBEs in the shape of former Liverpool manager, Gerard Houllier in 2003, former Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger in 2003 and former Chelsea player, Gianfranco Zola in 2004. OBEs are much more common among figures in the football world, while CBEs and knighthoods are more rare in the football industry. Some of the biggest names in the game have been awarded one of the titles and there will be many more to follow in their footsteps. King Charles is the one to award the titles after watching his mother, Queen Elizabeth II award the different titles for over 70 years, and it is a tradition that is set to continue for many years to come.