Manchester United and England legend David Beckham has been awarded a knighthood in King Charles’ Birthday Honours checklist.
The accolade, awarded for his providers to sport and to charity, ends Beckham’s lengthy look forward to Britain’s highest honorary title.
The Inter Miami co-owner has served as an envoy for Unicef since 2005. He grew to become an envoy for King Charles’ charity, The King’s Basis, in 2024.
“To have performed for and captained my nation was the best privilege of my profession and actually a boyhood dream come true,” Beckham stated in an announcement.
“Off the pitch I’ve been lucky to have the chance to symbolize Britain all over the world and work with unbelievable organisations which might be supporting communities in want and provoking the subsequent era.
“I am so fortunate to have the ability to do the work that I do and I am grateful to be recognised for work that provides me a lot fulfilment. “It should take a short while for the information to sink in however I am immensely proud and it is such an emotional second for me to share with my household.”
Beckham, who was appointed an officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2003, earned 115 England caps, enjoying 59 of these video games as captain. He stays the one English males’s participant to attain at three totally different World Cups, having appeared at each main event for the Three Lions between 1998 and 2006.
He helped United win six Premier League titles, together with a well-known treble success in 1999. He additionally performed for Actual Madrid throughout their “Galacticos” period, raised the profile of Main League Soccer by becoming a member of LA Galaxy, and loved spells at AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain earlier than retiring in 2013.
He additionally performed a component in serving to London safe the internet hosting rights to the 2012 Olympic Video games.
“Large congratulations from everybody at United on this particular achievement, Becks — you actually deserve this,” Man United wrote on social media.
Beckham has needed to be affected person earlier than receiving his knighthood. He was reported to have first been put ahead for a knighthood in 2011, however was finally unsuccessful.
Experiences on the time claimed HM Income and Customs vetoed his nomination on account of his alleged involvement in a supposed tax avoidance scheme.
In 2017, a number of newspapers printed particulars of Beckham’s leaked emails by which he appeared to criticise the honours system and the honours committee. A spokesperson for the previous footballer stated on the time that the emails have been “hacked,” “doctored” and “non-public.”
Beckham was not the one notable sportsperson named within the king’s honours checklist.
Darts prodigy Luke Littler and world No. 1 Luke Humphries each acquired MBEs for his or her providers to the game, as did former England worldwide Rachel Daly who was part of the nation’s triumph on residence soil at Euro 2022. She introduced her England retirement in April 2024.
Olympic gold medal successful triathlete Alistair Brownlee earned an OBE, whereas British tennis legend Virginia Wade acquired a CBE.
