THE Greatest Ever Ranger, John Greig, was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire by the Prince of Wales at Buckingham Palace in London on Monday.
Greig was named in His Majesty The King’s first Birthday Honours List in June for services to Association Football and to the community in Scotland.
Everyone at Rangers is incredibly proud of Mr Greig, who was already an MBE, and who still performs the role of Honorary Life President at Ibrox at the age of 81.
His relationship with the Light Blues goes back over 60 years, and as well as being the most iconic player in the club’s history, he also managed the club, served in a number of roles in the commercial department, supported Dick Advocaat during his spell in charge, contributed to the club’s Academy and served on the Rangers board.
A winner of five league titles, six Scottish Cups, four League Cups and, of course, the European Cup Winners’ Cup as a player, and two Scottish Cups and two League Cups as a manager, few figures have given more to the club’s history.
As captain, he was one of the leading figures as the club recovered from the tragic events of the Ibrox Disaster on January 2 1971, and he remains central to the commemorations of that awful day, with a bronze statue of Mr Greig standing atop the memorial to the 66 supporters who lost their lives at the stadium.
His presence at the annual memorial service, where he lays a wreath at the foot of the statue, is always a hugely poignant event.
He maintains an enormous stature in the club’s current day-to-day operation, and continues to inspire the current generation of players, not least current club captain James Tavernier who often speaks warmly of their relationship.