Chris Kamara among football stars receiving honours at Windsor Castle

Chris Kamara, one of football’s most popular figures, will receive an honour at Windsor Castle on Tuesday.

The 65-year-old, known for his catchphrase “Unbelievable Jeff”, played for nine English professional clubs in a career spanning 20 years before going on to manage Bradford and Stoke.

In more recent years he became best known for his work as a pundit and presenter on Sky Sports.

Kamara is being made an MBE for services to Association Football, to anti-racism and to charity.

There was a huge outpouring of support for Kamara on social media when he went public about his apraxia of speech (AOS) diagnosis, saying he felt “a fraud” as a broadcaster having learned he had the condition.

A documentary called Lost For Words about Kamara coming to terms with the condition was broadcast in December.

Kamara, who also presented Sky’s Goals On Sunday programme, is well known to non-football lovers as a co-presenter of ITV’s Ninja Warrior show.

Born in Middlesbrough of Sierra Leonean, English and Irish descent, Kamara served in the navy before joining Portsmouth for the first of two spells.

He played over 200 games across two stints at Swindon, and also played for Brentford, Stoke, Leeds, Luton, Sheffield United, Middlesbrough and Bradford.

Another football star in line for honours is James Milner, who is being made an MBE for services to Association Football and to charity.

The Liverpool midfielder has spent two decades in the Premier League.

Mike Summerbee, star of the Manchester City side of the 1960s and 70s, will be made an OBE for services to Association Football and to charity.

Sophie Ingle, captain of the Wales women’s football team, will be made an OBE for services to Association Football.

Chelsea midfielder Ingle has more than 100 international appearances to her name, and was part of the Great Britain squad at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

Meanwhile, abortion reform campaigner Sarah Ewart will be made an OBE for services to abortion legal reform in Northern Ireland.

Ms Ewart pressed for the liberalisation of Northern Ireland’s strict abortion laws after being denied a termination in the region following a diagnosis that her unborn child would die in the womb or shortly after birth.

Joanne Harris, author of Chocolat, will be made an OBE for services to literature.