All through his lengthy profession as a participant — and now because the proprietor of Inter Miami — David Beckham has been one of the influential figures in world soccer. That legacy has earned him quite a few accolades through the years, the newest being his knighthood conferred by King Charles III of the United Kingdom.
Beckham was formally knighted in a ceremony held on Tuesday, the place the English soccer legend met face-to-face with King Charles. Following conventional protocol, the monarch carried out the ceremony earlier than putting the medal round Beckham’s neck, formally recognizing him as a Knight Bachelor.
The previous Manchester United and Actual Madrid midfielder had beforehand been appointed an Officer of the Most Glorious Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2003, however this distinction represents a good greater honor — one which acknowledges not solely his on-field accomplishments but in addition his contributions past the sport. “For providers to sport and to charity,” was introduced through the ceremony.
Beckham’s deserves for knighthood
Since his debut with Manchester United in 1992, Beckham’s expertise and dedication earned him a particular place within the membership’s historical past. He proudly wore the long-lasting No. 7 jersey — as soon as donned by legends akin to George Greatest and Eric Cantona, and later by Cristiano Ronaldo.
David Beckham sporting Manchester United’s iconic No. 7 jersey.
With Manchester United, Beckham made 394 appearances between 1992 and 2003, scoring 85 targets and successful 12 main trophies. He later went on to play for Actual Madrid, AC Milan, Los Angeles Galaxy, and Paris Saint-Germain, earlier than retiring in 2013. Internationally, he represented England in three World Cups (1998, 2002, and 2006).
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After ending his enjoying profession, Beckham devoted himself to philanthropy and charity work, donating vital sums of cash and making quite a few public appearances to help causes akin to youngster welfare and malaria prevention.
Which different soccer stars have been knighted?
David Beckham joins a protracted listing of gamers and coaches who’ve been honored for his or her contributions to the game. In truth, in 2025, Gareth Southgate — Beckham’s former England teammate and former Three Lions supervisor — was additionally knighted.
England legends and 1966 World Cup winners Bobby Charlton and Geoff Hurst have been each knighted as properly, together with Premier League icons Alex Ferguson and Kenny Dalglish. Different notable figures acquired royal honors, although not on the knighthood degree, together with Alan Shearer, Gary Lineker, and Ryan Giggs.
Amongst present gamers, Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane was appointed a Member of the Most Glorious Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2019, and Barcelona’s Marcus Rashford was honored in the identical means in 2020 throughout his time at Manchester United.
There are additionally some exceptional instances of non-British gamers receiving honorary distinctions. One instance is Italian ahead Gianfranco Zola, who was appointed an Honorary Officer of the Most Glorious Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2004 in recognition of his profession at Chelsea. An much more distinctive case is that of Pele, who was named an Honorary Knight Commander of the Most Glorious Order of the British Empire (KBE) in 1997, regardless of by no means having performed in English soccer.
