David Beckham says he is “immensely proud” to have been awarded a knighthood in the King’s Birthday Honours.
For the last 30 years Sir David has transcended football to become one of the most recognisable faces on the planet, and his services to sport and to charity have now led to him being honoured.
Beckham, who turned 50 last month, won 115 caps for England, earning 59 of those as captain.
He said in a statement released to the PA news agency: “Growing up in east London with parents and grandparents who were so patriotic and proud to be British, I never could have imagined I would receive such a truly humbling honour.
“To have played for and captained my country was the greatest privilege of my career and literally a boyhood dream come true.
“Off the pitch I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to represent Britain around the world and work with incredible organisations that are supporting communities in need and inspiring the next generation.
“I’m so lucky to be able to do the work that I do and I’m grateful to be recognised for work that gives me so much fulfilment.
“It will take a little while for the news to sink in but I’m immensely proud and it’s such an emotional moment for me to share with my family.”
Beckham won league titles in four countries – England, Spain, the United States and France – and played a key part as Manchester United won the Champions League in 1999 to complete the treble.
United said in a club statement: “All of us at Manchester United offer our warm congratulations to David Beckham on this richly-deserved honour.
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“In the three and a half decades since he joined our academy as a 14-year-old, David has established himself as not only an indelible legend of this football club, but as a wonderful ambassador for the English game as a whole.
“David, we salute your achievements and thank you for your tremendous contribution to Manchester United.”
Since retirement in 2013 Sir David has been heavily involved as the founder and co-owner of American Major League Soccer franchise Inter Miami, whose signing of Argentina superstar Lionel Messi has made them one of the world’s most internationally recognised clubs.
Away from football he has been a global ambassador for the humanitarian aid organisation UNICEF since 2005, and last year became an ambassador for the King’s Foundation.
Philip Goodwin, UNICEF UK chief executive, said the charity was “thrilled” by Beckham’s knighthood and added: “David Beckham has done an incredible amount to advocate for children’s rights over the last 20 years.
“He became a Goodwill Ambassador in 2005 and launched 7: The David Beckham UNICEF Fund in 2015 – with the goal of helping children around the world, especially girls, break down barriers including bullying, violence, child marriage and missed education.
“He’s travelled extensively to see UNICEF’s work and used his profile to raise awareness, as well as support our flagship fundraising campaign Soccer Aid for UNICEF and launch global fundraising appeals. We are grateful for all of his support that has done a huge amount to amplify the voices of children around the world.”
Beckham was part of a group of academy stars known as the ‘Class of 92’ whose ascendance to the Manchester United first team effectively heralded the start of United’s second wave of Premier League dominance under Sir Alex Ferguson.
The Scot was initially criticised for relying so heavily on the likes of Beckham, Gary Neville and Paul Scholes while allowing more established players to leave, but back-to-back league titles in 1996 and 1997 quickly silenced the doubters.
Beckham won his first senior England cap in 1996 and made his World Cup bow at the 1998 finals in France. The tournament was a career lowlight for him however, as he was sent off for kicking out at Argentina’s Diego Simeone as England exited on penalties in the last 16.
The following summer was a complete contrast, with Beckham basking in United’s treble success and marrying Spice Girl Victoria Adams.
Beckham first skippered England under caretaker manager Peter Taylor in November 2000, but was made permanent captain from the start of Sven-Goran Eriksson’s reign.
The Swede’s belief in the United star was rewarded as Beckham gave one of the performances of his life in a 2001 qualifier against Greece to drag England to qualification for the following year’s World Cup in Japan and South Korea.
England could not go beyond the last eight in Beckham’s national team career, but he sits third in the men’s all-time list for most England caps.
Beckham joined Real Madrid’s band of ‘Galactico’ superstars in 2003, but it took until his final season in Spain – 2006-07 – for him to win La Liga.
By then he had already taken the decision in January 2007 – aged just 31 – to move to Los Angeles Galaxy in the United States.
In LA Beckham won MLS Cups in 2011 and 2012 and ended his career with further European silverware, winning Ligue 1 with Paris St Germain in 2013.
Retirement has not dimmed Beckham’s celebrity, and he remains hugely in demand by the world’s top brands.
A 2023 Netflix documentary about his football career and family life was one of the most popular the streaming service has ever screened.
