Gerard Houllier and his Liverpool assistant Phil Thompson have been presented with Special Achievement Awards by the League Managers Association (LMA) in recognition of their efforts at Anfield.
It marks Houllier's fourth anniversary in sole charge of Liverpool and, despite a disappointing exit from the Champions League, recognises his achievements at the Merseyside club, now firmly re-established as a major football force.
John Barnwell, chief executive of LMA, said the awards were presented only on merit, not necessarily every year, and Houllier certainly fulfilled the requirements.
"We ...have an award for unique achievements, what we call a special award, and Gerard Houllier definitely falls into that category," he told leaguemanagers.com.
"He took over at Liverpool just over four years ago and the re-emergence of Liverpool at the highest level is there for everybody to see.
"Little did we realise that over a year ago, he and the club would have the greatest test of that improvement when Gerard had his unfortunate heart attack.
"The club, both on and off the pitch, acted remarkably, and the structure Gerard had put in place proved to be solid and able to cope with him not being around.
"Much of this was down to his assistant Phil Thompson, who did an incredibly good job of sustaining the improvement of that football club."
Since taking sole charge of the Anfield outfit, Houllier has taken The Reds from strength to strength, finishing seventh in the Frenchman's first season at the helm, fourth in 1999/2000 and qualifying for the UEFA Cup; third in 2000/01, earning a Champions League place and second last season.
Houllier's reign thus far will also be remembered for the club's cup treble two seasons ago, as Liverpool dramatically clinched the Worthington Cup, FA Cup and UEFA Cup in an incredible three-month spell.
This season has seen Houllier's side get off to their best start during his tenure and the prospect of delivering Anfield's first league championship for 13 years seems more tangible than ever.