Sir Kenny Dalglish and Karen Carney Win PFA Merit Awards for 2026

Sir Kenny Dalglish and Karen Carney have won the Professional Footballers' Association's merit awards for 2026. The awards honour individuals who have made a lasting contribution to football. The PFA Awards ceremony will be held in Manchester on Tuesday evening, where the men's and women's players' player of the year winners will be announced. Dalglish enjoyed a prolific career as both player and manager, becoming Scotland's most-capped men's international with 102 appearances and matching Denis Law's national team record of 30 goals. At club level, he began with a trophy-laden spell at Celtic before moving to Liverpool for a British record fee in 1977 and becoming an integral part of the club's golden era. Over the next 14 years, Dalglish won eight First Division titles and three European Cups across 515 appearances for Liverpool and was runner-up for the Ballon d'Or in 1983. Appointed player-manager in 1985, he guided the club to three league titles and two FA Cups - including the Double in 1985-86 - before retiring from playing in 1990. After resigning as Liverpool's manager in February 1991, Dalglish led Blackburn to the Premier League title in 1995 and had stints with Celtic, Newcastle and Liverpool again, where he won the 2012 League Cup. Off the field, Dalglish remains a significant figure in Merseyside. He led the club through the aftermath of the Hillsborough disaster in 1989, earning praise for his support of the bereaved families, and has raised millions of pounds to support cancer care and treatment through the Marina Dalglish Appeal, set up in 2005 following his wife's treatment for breast cancer. Dalglish, 75, announced in June 2026 that he is having treatment for cancer.