Great news and well deserved for a player who should and would have gone on to become a Chelsea legend, had his career not been so cruelly cut short:

Elliott honoured with CBE

Former Chelsea and England defender Paul Elliott has been awarded a CBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours for services to equality and diversity in football - the highest honour so far received by any player from the Premier League era.

Elliott, 48, who started his career at Charlton and also played for Celtic, Chelsea and Italian side Pisa, has campaigned for years for equality in football and worked for the anti-discrimination group Kick It Out. He was also an ambassador and board member for England's unsuccessful bid for the 2018 World Cup.

Elliott, previously an MBE, said: "I am flabbergasted by this honour, and feel privileged and humbled.

"You do not set out in life to win these honours, I have just tried to make a bit of a difference and I would like to thank organisations such as Kick It Out for all the work they have done. It will be a very proud moment for me when I receive the honour."

I've met Paul a couple of times, and have to say he's a top bloke and this is very well deserved!

Congratulations to Paul Elliott, one of my favourite ever Chelsea players, he had class in abundance. He was so good I even forgave him having played for Septic! I still live in hope of meeting Dean Saunders face to face...

Well done Paul.A top,top quality centre half & man who took that career ending travesty sh*t with real dignity.

Well done Paul.

.. one of my favourite ever Chelsea players ..

Ditto mate. He was an absolutely inspirational player and 100% committed. Well done that lad.

Probably the most talented centre back I've ever seen. Just a combination of smartness and pure physique that very few others had. Congrats to Jamaica, well deserved!

One of my top Chelsea players ever, and a thoroughly nice person as well.

Well deserved.

I'll never forgive Dean Saunders for what he done to Paul, but Dean did provide me with probably my first ever reason to hate Liverpool.

Edited June 16, 201214 yr by 2211

This summer, if nothing else, has so far been great news for some of past Chelsea legends.

well done Paul

Well deserved!!

Congratulations to Paul Elliott, one of my favourite ever Chelsea players, he had class in abundance. He was so good I even forgave him having played for Septic! I still live in hope of meeting Dean Saunders face to face...

I was lucky enough to get close to the little sh*t years ago when Wrexham played my local team Workington and ended up getting kicked out because of the abuse I gave him . All the pathetic Liverpool plastics were all over him telling him how cool he was then I piled in and called him all kinds and said it was because of what he did to Paul Elliot. the look on his face was hilarious.

Great to see Paul get what he deserves, a fantastic player and a fantastic man.