KENNY DALGLISH will forever be known to fellow Liverpool great Gary Gillespie as King Kenny, but there is no doubt in the former Scotland defender’s mind that he fully deserves the official title of ‘Sir’ that has now officially been bestowed upon him.

Gillespie’s spontaneous reaction to the news was such that you might have thought he had just been informed of his own Knighthood, but the delight that he showed was a sign of the respect and admiration he has for a man who held his adopted home of Liverpool together in some of the darkest days of the city’s long and proud history.

“It’s long overdue,” Gillespie said. “There has been a lot of talk down here for quite a while that it would probably happen, and the local government here have been putting his case forward.

“If you had saw what he did after the Hillsborough disaster, it was phenomenal. He held the city together really. He was immense.

“The one thing that Kenny wasn’t good at was dealing with the media and public speaking. He was a very private man, and he still is today. At times, that can be seen as quite harsh, especially with the media, but he showed his true character at that time.

“He was all over the place speaking at services and meeting with fans, and it was just such a comfort to the families and the people who needed it most.”

His selfless sacrifice in the days, months and years following the Hillsborough disaster are only part of the Dalglish story. What he achieved on the field and in the dugout before that tragic day, and the work he has done to raise money for charity in the years since, are the mark of a man who Gillespie holds as a true icon.

“The knighthood won’t only be for what he did around Hillsborough, because he’s raised millions for charity in the Merseyside area too,” he said.

“If you go anywhere in Liverpool, his name is synonymous with what he achieved not only on the football pitch, but off the pitch as well.

“He does great work with Marina’s charity, and he would deserve a Knighthood for that alone to be honest with you.

“He’s been a fantastic ambassador for Liverpool Football Club, but also for the city in general. It will be warmly received down here for sure.

“The only thing is they will have to get some more letters for his stand! But it is certainly no surprise at all to me that he has received this honour.”

How special a footballer Dalglish was almost pales into insignificance when stacked up against the real, meaningful impact he has made on lives away from the game, but as any lover of football who witnessed Dalglish’s feats on the field of play would testify, there is a reason they called him the King long before he was indeed a Sir.

“For me, he is the best ever Liverpool player bar none,” Gillespie said. “The modern generation would maybe question that and say Steven Gerrard, but certainly in my mind there is no doubt at all that he is not only the greatest Liverpool player ever, but the greatest Scottish player ever too.”