The former MK Dons captain Dean Lewington has been awarded Freedom of the City of Milton Keynes.

Lewington received the honour at a ceremony earlier this week, with the club’s former captain having been awarded the honour by Milton Keynes City Council earlier this year.

The 41-year-old, who retired at the end of last season in May, made over 917 appearances for the Dons, making him the club’s all-time appearance record-holder. He was also club captain for over a decade.

In 2023, he set a new English Football League record for the most league appearances for a single club, surpassing John Trollope’s 40-year-old record for Swindon Town.

The announcement of the honour being presented to Lewington came during ‘An Evening with Dean Lewington’, a Gala Dinner held in his honour in May shortly after his final game for the club, with Lewington receiving the award four months later.

In a ceremony attended by his family, friends, and colleagues, as well as the Mayor of Milton Keynes and representatives of Milton Keynes City Council, Dean was presented with the Freedom of the City Award.

Lewington remains associated with the club, having started a coaching role as a Development Coach following his retirement.

The award makes Lewington the second recipient of a Freedom of the City of Milton Keynes, with the first having also been given to a football star. The first recipient was England women’s football captain Leah Williamson, who was awarded the honour in 2023 just after leading the Lionesses to their first major trophy when they won the 2022 European Championships.