This OBE is for you, Graham
BLISSETT DEDICATES AWARD TO HIS OLD BOSS
LUTHER BLISSETT dedicated his gong to former England manager Graham Taylor as a platoon of British footballers were recognised in the Queen’s Jubilee Honours List.
Rio Ferdinand, Gareth Bale, James Milner, Mike Summerbee and Alan Rough also feature in sport’s prominent cast of honours.
Blissett (above, right, with Taylor), the first black player to score for England 40 years ago, is awarded the OBE for services to football and charity.
The former Watford striker is patron of the Sporting Memories Foundation, a charity that tackles dementia, loneliness and depression through the power of sport.
Blissett said: “Graham Taylor was more than a manager to me.
He was a father figure and inspiration to me and all those who were part of that golden era for Watford.
“Graham taught us to be unafraid of a challenge, but also to wear the shirt with pride because the whole community invested in us and we carried their hopes and dreams. We were expected to give our all – and to give back. It is something that became second nature and I am proud every time that someone is inspired either by my goals, our team glory or the way that we engaged with the people of Watford and other communities.” Wales captain Bale (above) is awarded an MBE for services to football and charity. Arguably British football’s greatest export after a trophyladen nine-year spell at the Santiago Bernabeu, 32-year-old Bale became the first British player to win the Champions League five times when Real beat Liverpool last weekend.
He won 20 trophies and scored more than 100 goals for Real, including three in Champions League finals.
Bale donated more than a million euros to hospitals in Wales and Spain in April 2020, in the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic.
Milner, who has spent two decades in the Premier League, also receives an MBE. The 36-year-old veteran was part of the Reds’ squad which won the FA Cup and Carabao Cup this season. Former England captain and Manchester United defender Ferdinand is awarded an OBE, for services to football and charity.
The 43-year-old won 81 England caps and six Premier League titles, and helped United to Champions League success in 2008.
Summerbee, a star of the great Manchester City side of the 1960s and 70s, receives an OBE, while Richard Bevan – chief executive of the League Managers Association – is also awarded an OBE.
Former Scotland goalkeeper Alan Rough has been made an MBE.