Honorary doctorate and England cap for former Wigan Athletic goalkeeper

Kirkland was made an Honorary Doctor of Philosophy at Edge Hill University as hundreds of students collected their degrees.

He was also presented with an invitation from the Football Association to receive an England cap.

University staff alerted FA bosses that Kirkland had not received the international honour after playing for the Three Lions in August 2006 – his only appearance for his country.

The FA have invited him to be a guest of honour at the England v Greece Nations League match on October 10 at Wembley, when he will receive an England legacy cap.

Kirkland, 43, replaced Paul Robinson at half-time in England’s 4-0 win over Greece at Old Trafford.

The goalkeeper, then at Wigan Athletic, also turned out for Liverpool, Coventry City, West Bromwich Albion, Leicester City, Doncaster Rovers, Sheffield Wednesday and Preston North End.

He said: “It was an amazing day for me and my family and I’m extremely proud to have been invited to Edge Hill University to receive this doctorate. I’d like to dedicate it to the people who work hard for others but will never receive the recognition they deserve.

“I hope it opens doors so we can do more good.”

Kirkland said he had “no idea” about his England cap, adding: “It was an amazing touch. All of the staff at Edge Hill have been superb to me.”

Pro Vice-Chancellor Liam Owens cited Kirkland as a “role model and an inspiration for the community in which he lives and works”.

He added: “The work Chris is doing, and the honesty and bravery with which he does it, is an inspiration to us all. He is changing futures and, for some of the people he works with, the impact he will make will sometimes make the difference between life and death.”

In his acceptance speech Kirkland, who has worked with a range of organisations in mental health, said talking about mental health and well-being should be on the national curriculum.

He has been open about a battle with a long-term painkiller addiction, mental health struggles and coming close to taking his life.

He said: “I’m here today because I talked. Because I shared my problems. Because I discussed how I felt.

“I’m here because when I was at my lowest, when I considered ending everything, through accessing professional help I was able to push through.

“Mental health should be treated no differently to general health. We think about what we eat. We think about exercise and keeping in shape.

“In professional sport, too often, the focus has been on how fast or how far we can run. What weights we can lift. But what about keeping our brains in shape? What about exercising our brain? Looking after our brain?

“Normalising talking about how you feel should be part of the curriculum at every school. It should be in the thoughts of every teacher, every manager, every boss, and every coach.

“I talked. I got help. And my daughter said to me one day, ‘As annoying as you are, I’ve got my real dad back now’. We all deserve to be our real selves.”