BBC SPORT | Scotland | Queen honours Boyd

Celtic and Scotland defender Tom Boyd has been awarded the MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List.

The accolade arrives as the 36-year-old is nearing the end of his long and illustrious career.

With 72 appearances during his 18 years as a professional, he is Scotland's fifth most capped player.

Boyd was born in the football hotbed of Glasgow and began his career at unfashionable Motherwell.

The high point of his seven years at Fir Park was winning the Scottish Cup with a 4-3 win over Dundee United in 1991.

It was only the second time that Motherwell had lifted the country's top knockout trophy.

Tom Boyd in action for Scotland
Tom Boyd won 72 caps for Scotland
But that was to be his last appearance for the Lanarkshire club, English top-flight outfit Chelsea paying �800,000 for his services.

His time at Stamford Bridge was hampered by injury and he made only 23 appearances in eight months before the London club accepted a �50,000 loss on the player as he headed for Celtic under then boss Liam Brady.

Old Firm rivals Rangers were in the midst of their decade-long domination of the Scottish game and Boyd had to wait until the Scottish Cup final against Airdrieonians in 1995 before tasting success at Celtic Park.

He was part of the side built by Wim Jansen that broke Rangers' stranglehold on the title in 1998.

Boyd, his age forcing a move from wing-back to central defence, was also around as Martin O'Neill did the same for the last two seasons.

He called an end in October to an international career that began while with Motherwell and saw him play his part in two trips to European Championship finals and the 1998 World Cup finals.

Boyd is currently contemplating a new one-year deal at Celtic Park, although the club captain is tempted to move elsewhere in the search for the regular first-team football denied him in the season just past.


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