Manchester United and Northern Ireland defender Jonny Evans collected his MBE from Prince William at Buckingham Palace on Monday.
The Manchester United academy graduate – now recognised as a veteran – was awarded an MBE for his services to association football in Northern Ireland.
Evans made his debut for Northern Ireland in a 3-2 win over Spain in September 2006. Since then, he has earned a staggering 106 caps for his country, getting on the scoresheet six times.
At club level, however, Evans is enjoying his second spell at Old Trafford. He also played for West Brom and Leicester City, where he won the FA Cup.
The 35-year-old said it was a “proud” moment to receive the honour and be able to have his wife and parents with him at Buckingham Palace.
Jonny Evans receives MBE for his services to Northern Irish football at Buckingham Palace pic.twitter.com/Xg9BVMzjxN
— BeanymanSports (@BeanymanSports) November 27, 2023
“It was quite a surreal feeling to be up there and meet the Prince of Wales,” said Evans, as per Belfast Live.
“We were just chatting, chatting about football mostly.
“It was a nice moment and obviously for him to take the time to speak on a personal level was really nice.
“I feel really proud about it. The amount of text messages I’ve had, even coming down today people were really excited.
“To be able to bring my wife and my mum and dad down to Buckingham Palace was an incredible thing.”
Congratulations to Evans on his MBE.
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