Dalglish and Carney named PFA merit award winners
Sir Kenny Dalglish and Karen Carney have been named the Professional Footballers' Association's merit award winners for 2026, the PFA announced on 25 August 2026 ahead of the PFA Awards in Manchester. The merit awards recognise individuals who have made a lasting contribution to football.
Dalglish's playing and managerial career featured a string of high-profile achievements: he became Scotland's most-capped men's international with 102 appearances and matched Denis Law's national record of 30 goals. He began at Celtic before joining Liverpool for a British record fee in 1977, and across the next 14 years won eight First Division titles and three European Cups in 515 appearances while finishing runner-up for the Ballon d'Or in 1983. Appointed player-manager in 1985, Dalglish led Liverpool to three league titles and two FA Cups, including the 1985-86 Double, and retired from playing in 1990.
After resigning as Liverpool manager in February 1991, Dalglish took Blackburn to the Premier League title in 1995 and later managed Celtic, Newcastle and returned to Liverpool, where he won the 2012 League Cup. He played a leading role for the club during the aftermath of the Hillsborough disaster in 1989 and has raised millions for cancer care via the Marina Dalglish Appeal, established in 2005 following his wife's treatment for breast cancer. Dalglish, 75, announced in June 2026 that he is having treatment for cancer.
Carney's club career included being part of the Arsenal side that completed a quadruple in 2006-07, winning the league, FA Cup, League Cup and Uefa Women's Cup. She spent two seasons with Chicago Red Stars before returning to Birmingham City in 2011, and scored an extra-time equaliser as Birmingham won the FA Cup the following season. Carney moved to Chelsea in late 2015, won the WSL and FA Cup double in 2017-18, served as club captain and ended her playing career in 2019.
On the international stage, Carney made her England debut as a 17-year-old in 2005 and finished with 32 goals in 144 appearances. She helped England to third place at the 2015 Women's World Cup, one of eight major tournaments she played for her country, and represented Great Britain at the 2012 Olympics. Since retiring, Carney, 39, has worked as a broadcaster and analyst and was appointed by the UK Government to chair an independent review, published in 2023, into the future of domestic women's football.
They follow Sir Gareth Southgate and Emma Hayes as recipients of the PFA merit award. 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.
