Sir Kenny Dalglish has paid tribute to his team-mates, managers and the Liverpool fanbase after receiving the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) Merit Award at the Manchester Opera House on Tuesday evening.
The legendary former Liverpool forward was recognised for his contributions to British football, attending the ceremony with his wife, Marina, and son, Paul.
A career of silverware at Liverpool
Sir Kenny is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in Liverpool's history, having won six league titles, three European Cups and the 1986 FA Cup during his 515 appearances for the Reds.
He later took on the role of player-manager, guiding Liverpool to the title in 1986, 1988 and 1990 - the club's final domestic crown for 30 years.
Support beyond the pitch
It is his continued support for the families of the Hillsborough disaster that sets Sir Kenny apart among Anfield greats. He was the club's manager in April 1989 and steered Liverpool through its darkest hour.
Dalglish joins the likes of Pele, Eusebio and Sir Alex Ferguson as recipients of the award. In a social media post on Tuesday evening, the Scot thanked those who supported him during his career.
He wrote: "Honoured to receive the PFA Merit Award tonight. Football has always been a team game, so I certainly wouldn't be receiving an award like this without my team-mates, managers, staff and supporters who have been part of the journey along the way. I've been very fortunate throughout my career and I'm extremely grateful for the recognition. Thank you to the PFA."
Grateful for his football journey
Speaking on the PFA's YouTube coverage of the event, Dalglish said: "Look, you only where you in football...it's a team game, if you remember, it's not one on one, is it?"
"And for me, I've just been fortunate with the two football clubs that I played for, Celtic and Liverpool, were the two most successful teams at that time. I don't think you could have picked two better two teams, two better managers, two better sets of supporters than I got. And I was fortunate to play for both of them."
