England pair Raheem Sterling and Jordan Henderson have been made MBEs in the 2021 Queen’s Birthday Honours.
Former Three Lions boss Roy Hodgson, who left Crystal Palace after a successful four-year stint at the end of the 2020/21 Premier League season, has received a CBE for his brilliant services to football.
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Manchester City forward Sterling has been honoured for racial equality in sport, with Liverpool captain Henderson receiving an MBE for services to football and charity, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hodgson is awarded a CBE for services to football. The 73-year-old was England manager from 2012 until 2016.
Midfielder Henderson, 30, helped guide the Reds to Champions League success in 2019 and the Premier League title in the disrupted 2019-20 campaign.
Off the field, he also had a leading role in the #PlayersTogether initiative, which was announced in early April last year at the height of the coronavirus pandemic which saw football and other sports all come to a halt.
Premier League captains worked together to help establish a joint contribution fund which was directed to the NHS Charities Together group for distribution to good causes working to provide support to NHS staff and patients.
AFP
Henderson said he was “humbled” by the award and insisted he was only part of a movement among with his Premier League counterparts, and he dedicated his honour to NHS staff.
Having thanked those who made the initiative a success, he said: “But the true heroes are the NHS staff. They put themselves in harm’s way to serve and protect us.
“Therefore I dedicate this to all the nurses, doctors, carers, porters, admin workers, cleaners, security personnel and every single individual who devotes their career and their lives to making the NHS the part of British life we are rightly most proud of as a nation.”
Sterling, part of the City side which won the Premier League title last season and reached the Champions League final against Chelsea, has continued to front anti-racism and discrimination campaigns.
The 26-year-old has been subjected to vile online abuse throughout his career for both club and country.
Speaking about why England players will again take a knee in the upcoming Euro 2020 finals, Sterling expressed “real disappointment” that some fans have not understood the reasons behind it and booed the gesture at recent games.
On his MBE, Sterling added: “I am grateful to have been recognised, but my priority is to try to help to educate society and myself. If it doesn’t start from within, then there’s no way you can help others. I’m learning every day.
“My motivation for racial equality is to get people to understand the difficulties people from diverse backgrounds face and create an environment where everybody is equal. I feel we are starting to make a step in the right direction, but we still have a lot of work to do.”
Hodgson stepped down from his role at Selhurst Park following the final game of last season to mark the end of another chapter in his distinguished managerial career.
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