Just imagine your opponent giving you a guard of honor so well that the fans love you even though they are rivals. Chelsea gave Liverpool a Guard of Honor as they went on to win the Premier League.
The guard of honor was provided on Sunday in the first match of Liverpool as they were the title winners for 2024/2025. Let’s dive deep to know how things actually panned out.
History of the Guard of Honor
The first-ever team Guard of Honor was received by Manchester United in May 2003 under the coaching of Sir Alex Ferguson. Everton provided a guard of honor as Manchester United had already been declared the winners.
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A total of 11 occasions have occurred when the guard of honor has been provided to the opposition. Everton and Chelsea provided the guard of honor to Leicester City when they won the 2015/2016 Premier League season.
The total list of guards of honor includes:
- Everton for Manchester United: 2003
- Manchester United for Chelsea’s first title: 2005
- Chelsea for Manchester United: 2007
- Blackpool for Manchester United: 2011
- Arsenal For Manchester United: 2013
- Liverpool for Chelsea: 2015
- Everton and Chelsea for Leicester City: 2016
- Watford and Sunderland for Chelsea: 2017
- Swansea, West Ham, Huddersfield, and Brighton for Manchester City: 2018
- Man City, Aston Villa, Brighton, Burnley, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Newcastle for Liverpool: 2020
- Newcastle and Everton for Manchester City: 2021
- Chelsea for Manchester City: 2023
Famous Individual Guard Of Honour
Fans might generally feel that the guard of honor is more about the team receiving respect. However, in the case of the Premier League, there have been rare occasions when players and even coaches receive the guard of honor.
The first and the most talked-about guard of honor was received by Sir Alex Ferguson when he brought his career to a close. Not only that, Jurgen Klopp also received a warm welcome on his last home game as the coach of Liverpool in 2024.
Similarly, the Blues skipper John Terry also received a guard of honor from Chelsea and Sunderland in his very last game before joining Aston Villa.
Is Guard Of Honor Compulsory?
This could be a very debatable question whether the Guard of Honor is compulsory or not. The plain and simple answer to that is no.
There is no rule that you should provide a guard of honor to your opponent. But it is a matter of sheer respect for another professional who has done well to reach a level of achievement.
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