Former England striker Gary Lineker is set to score yet another hat-trick with his third honorary degree.
The 48-year-old will be made an Honorary Doctor of Letters at De Montfort University, Leicester, on Tuesday.
The former Tottenham, Leicester and Barcelona forward already has similar educational accolades from the University of Leicester and Loughborough University.
Lineker, who now presents Match of the Day, said: "I feel privileged and honoured. It is a nice gesture from my home town.
"I think 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 my life!
"I have an honorary degree from Leicester and one from Loughborough so this is the hat-trick, 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!"
Lineker, who was born in Leicester, played for City of Leicester Boys then with local club Aylestone Park.
In 1976, he was signed by Leicester as a schoolboy apprentice and made his first-team debut on New Year's Day 1979.
He went on to make 194 appearances, netting 95 times before moving to Everton in 1985, where he scored 40 goals in one season.
He then played for Barcelona and Tottenham, then Japanese team Grampus Eight before retiring in 1994.
Voted PFA Footballer of the Year in 1986, he was also named the Football Writers' Association Player of the Year in 1986 and 1992.
