Gary Lineker to receive his third degree!
The city's most famous son will return later this month to receive an honorary degree from De Montfort University.
The former England star, who now presents BBC's Match of the Day, will be joined by fellow Leicester legend Bill Maynard, better known to millions of TV viewers as Heartbeat's Greengrass, as well as seven other men and women who have been chosen as "leaders in their field."
Gary, who already has honorary degrees from the University of Leicester and Loughborough University, will complete the hat-trick when he is made an Honorary Doctor of Letters during a graduation ceremony at De Montfort on July 14.
Gary said he felt "privileged and honoured" to receive the degree in his hometown.
He said: "For someone like myself who jumped out of school as quickly as I could at 16, you might say I feel slightly fraudulent with all the students at De Montfort working so hard for their degrees – but I suppose I have worked hard during life."
He said he knew the De Montfort University campus well and having passed through it "millions of times" as it was so close to City's old Filbert Street ground.
"I have an honorary degree from Leicester and one from Loughborough so this is the hat-trick," he said. "But this one is like a promotion, receiving a doctorate and becoming a doctor of letters.
"Footballers are not known for their use of letters so that is quite an honour in itself really."
Bill Maynard, who will be made an Honorary Doctor of Arts at a ceremony on July 16, said he considered it "more worthy than a knighthood."
"To get any form of degree you need to earn it and that is why this is a real achievement for me and is so much more important," he said.
"Students work hard to achieve their qualifications and I am proud to be awarded one alongside them."
The 80-year-old added: "Leicester has been my home since just after I was born. It means a great deal to me to be honoured by the university."
De Montfort University bosses said they wanted to honour the pair for their achievements over the years.
A spokesman for the university said: "We are very pleased to honour Gary, who is not only a local but a nationally respected figure, and also Bill, who is not only a nationally recognised figure but who also has close links with our faculty of health and life sciences.
"During this week of graduations we are celebrating the many successes of our students and of our staff and we will be honouring other distinguished figures who, through their achievements, provide an excellent example to our graduates."
Honorary degrees will also be made to Gurinder Chadha, director of hit movie Bend it Like Beckham, artist Bridget Riley, and Claire Bertschinger, a former International Red Cross nurse who was the inspiration for Bob Geldof's Band Aid.
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