Crystal Palace’s long-serving midfielders James McArthur and Luka Milivojevic have received the Chairman’s Award for Outstanding Contribution.
The two players have represented Palace for nine and six-and-a-half years respectively, but will depart the club upon the expiration of their contracts this summer.
McArthur joined Palace from Wigan Athletic in September 2014 and has since gone on to play over 19,000 minutes for the club, making 252 appearances in all competitions.
A virtual ever-present during his first six seasons in red and blue, McArthur missed just six Premier League games between the summers of 2017 and 2020.
Milivojevic, meanwhile, first assumed the captain’s armband in January 2018 – little short of a year after joining – and has been lauded for his leadership qualities by players, managers and coaches alike.
He went on to finish as top scorer in both the 2017/18 and 18/19 seasons, notably scoring the winner in a dramatic 3-2 win over Manchester City in 2018, and has made 198 appearances for Palace in total.
Presented with the awards by Chairman Steve Parish, both players heard a number of legendary Palace figures - players and coaches past and present - pay tribute to their careers with the Eagles.
They were then invited up on stage to collect the awards, with McArthur saying: "It was really nice to hear your teammates, the people who work with you every day, say that about you - so thanks so much.
“I’ve not really thought about [leaving] to be honest. I have a lot of very good memories and I’m forever grateful to the club for taking that chance on me.
“When you play with people for such a long time, you’ve got that bond. Special people play here and you do create that bond. I am [going to miss it] and that’s probably why I’ve not thought about it so much now! Right now, I just want to appreciate everything I’ve got.”
Milivojevic added: "Seven seasons at Palace and I think I finish this journey happy - and I didn’t murder anyone!
“I have been at this club for so long and because this club is so special, you feel it will never end, but it’s the football life.
"I want to say thank you to all of you guys: players, coaching staff, and a lot of people behind the scenes. Thank you to all of you guys who have made me feel special every day.”
Parish said of both players: "We know these two guys won’t be here next season. Roy’s touched on them from a football point of view, but I want to talk about them as people.
"When you play a Palace team, you are always going to get a game. I don’t know why, but we always always give every team a game. It’s all to do with the characters at the Football Club, and we’ve been really fortunate with those who have passed through, but none more than these two."
The Chairman’s Award for Outstanding Contribution is decided by Parish and presented to club figures who have served exceptionally, or made a notably significant contribution.
Last season’s recipient was Head of Player Care Danny Young, while previous figures to win the award include Julian Speroni, Damien Delaney, Scott Guyett and Mile Jedinak.
Full highlights of the ceremony will follow on Palace TV before the end of the season.
