Liverpool midfielder James Milner has been awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Jubilee Year honours list. The Reds’ vice-captain has been given the title for his services to football and charity, having run his own foundation since 2011 on the back of a playing career that has spanned 20 years.
James Milner said: “We started with Help for Heroes and NSPCC and then we added Bloodwise which was because of (former Aston Villa team-mate) Stiliyan Petrov when he was diagnosed with leukeamia. And then in 2018 we added Motor Neurone too, for (former Liverpool defender) Stephen Darby after he was diagnosed. As well as the four major ones in NSPCC, Help for Heroes, Bloodwise and MNDA, we also support other initiatives in the north, so the last few years we have supported the Liverpool Foundation and put on football camps for kids who can’t afford to go, so that’s the point of that. We have supported some initiatives in Manchester, netball teams in underprivileged areas, Leeds Rhinos, we have given money to help them out for underprivileged kids, so it is not only our four main charities, we have tried to help others around the north west. It is important to help people who are going through tough times at home or in school, being part of a team can give people that confidence and that is massive to help people rehabilitate.”
Milner joins Gareth Bale and Rio Ferdinand as three football-specific figures to have been recognised for their work.
