Football great Graeme Souness made CBE for charity work
ReutersGraeme Souness has been awarded a CBE for his services to football and charity.
The former Rangers and Liverpool star said the charity fundraising allowed people to see the “real me” as he accepted the honor from the Prince of Wales at Windsor Castle.
Souness won a host of trophies during his long spell at both clubs, both as a player and coach, and participated in three World Cups with Scotland.
However, in recent years he has served as Vice President of Debra UK, helping to raise awareness of epidermolysis bullosa (EB) – A group of inherited skin disorders that cause the skin to blister and tear at the slightest contact.
He began working with the charity six years ago and helped raise £1.5 million to further research into the condition. Participated in swimming challenge Crossed the English Channel last year.
public mediaAfter the ceremony, he told the PA news agency that he was trying to “become a decent person.”
He said: “I think when you go to work, no matter what job you do, you become completely different to who you are, certainly to meet the demands of football management and being a footballer.
“I’m an emotional person, and when I’m involved in this charity, when I’m around these poor kids, I’m very emotional.
“Now that I’ve been involved for six years, I get it now – I understand the plight of these kids, and that just drives me to do as much as I can for them.”
In 2023, he told the BBC that epidermolysis bullosa was “the cruelest disease in the world” and that he was inspired to try to swim the English Channel after meeting Isla Grist, a teenager from the Scottish Highlands.
Ella, from the Black Isle, near Inverness, has had the condition since birth and has to be covered in bandages from head to toe, which are changed three times a week, an extremely painful process.
Fighting back tears, Souness described Ella as “the most unique person I have ever met” and praised her bravery.
After the ceremony at Windsor Castle, the 71-year-old added that he believed his fundraising achievements were “comparable to the European Championships”, referring to the trophy He won three titles with Liverpool.
He says he has “ticked the box” when it comes to football and is now focused on another Debra fundraiser in May 2025, with his aim to swim the English Channel again and cycle from Dover to Westminster.
Souness, who has been a television commentator on the sport for many years, said he joked with the Prince of Wales about Liverpool’s victory over Aston Villa, who was backed by the Prince of Wales, at the weekend.
