Sir David Beckham officially receives knighthood from King Charles

Martin Macdonald

• Updated: 4 Nov 2025 06:48 CST
• 3 min read

Nieuws

David Beckham has officially been awarded a knighthood as part of King Charles' Birthday Honours list.

Beckham, now Sir David Beckham, was knighted at a ceremony on Tuesday morning.

"I couldn't be prouder," said the former England captain.

"People know how patriotic I am - I love my country.

"I've always said how important the monarchy is to my family.

"I'm lucky enough to have travelled around the world and all people want to talk to me about is our monarchy. It makes me proud."

Beckham is one of the most famous football players in history and in his club career he played for some of the biggest clubs around in Manchester United, Real Madrid, Milan and Paris Saint-Germain.

He won 19 major trophies in his career, and is the only English player to win league titles in four different countries: England, Spain, the United States and France.

Beckham captained England between 2000 and 2005 and played 115 times for his country.

His move from Real Madrid to LA Galaxy in 2007 is credited with helping to raise the profile of soccer in the United States and he is currently a co-owner of Major League Galaxy outfit Inter Miami.

When his knighthood was confirmed back in June, former England team-mate Wayne Rooney told BBC Sport:

"He is a great ambassador for football and the country.

"We all see the charity work that he has done for many years and I am sure he will continue to do that.

"Globally he is a massive icon for any charity to work alongside and he makes everyone proud by raising a lot of money over the years.

"You don't get to his level worldwide if you don't work hard. He was persistent and kept going to get the reward he deserved."

Arise, Sir David Beckham! pic.twitter.com/5erW1I3ZrU

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) November 4, 2025

Which footballers have been knighted?

Beckham is the 16th footballer to be knighted...

* Though Lord Ian Botham was knighted for services to cricket, he also made 11 Football League appearances for Scunthorpe United.