After a decade filled with effort, challenges, and one notable outburst, David Beckham has finally been awarded a knighthood. Few have worked harder, or are more deserving of this honour.
His ability to overcome a series of significant personal setbacks – which we`ll discuss further – is a testament to his character and exceptional dedication.
Last night, a friend said: “Quite simply, this is the ultimate accolade for David.
“Forget the medals, the trophies, the global fame and the millions in the bank. As a genuine and devoted royalist this means more to him than anything. It is his lifetime’s work — and he’s still only 50.
“People don’t seem to realise how hard David works. His determination and work ethic is second to none.
“Despite all the setbacks, he knew he could turn things around and prove people wrong. And he’s done it.
“His family and friends are incredibly proud, and David himself is beyond happy.
“After all these years, he’s still a bit of a mum’s boy and is so thrilled his mum Sandra gets to see this. It is a huge moment in the Beckham clan.”
For millions of fans, the knighthood is long overdue. And certainly, within hours of the news breaking yesterday, social media was flooded with messages of congratulations.
Only a cynic, or a republican, could deny David Robert Joseph Beckham this honour.
A former England captain — a player whose last-gasp free kick against Greece in 2001 sent the nation through to the World Cup finals — his career on the pitch was the stuff of legend.
But it is off the pitch where Becks has truly excelled, single-handedly revolutionising how players manage their careers. Rather than being seen merely as athletes, Becks (with the help of a commercially savvy team who recognised his charisma, talent, and genuine nature) had the foresight to market himself as a global brand.
In short, he has transcended the sport. With countless endorsement deals, his business acumen meant that by the age of 35, David knew he would never need to play football or work again, if he chose not to.
Before Becks, retirement for top-flight players – many leaving school with minimal qualifications – often meant a loss of identity and uncertainty. Now, inspired by the “Becks Inc” model, newer stars have secured their own marketing rights, ensuring a prosperous future away from the game.
A generation of footballers` children and grandchildren will owe their comfortable lives, cars, and private schooling to David.
In short, David was, and continues to be, a trailblazer. While his wife, soon-to-be Lady Beckham, is the acclaimed fashion designer, it is ironically Beckham who defined a key 21st-century aesthetic: the tattoo sleeve. His first tattoo, dedicated to his eldest son Brooklyn, appeared in 1999.
The Journey and Challenges
It`s reportedly sad, then, that his 26-year-old son Brooklyn, with whom he hasn`t spoken meaningfully in seven months, only learned about the knighthood after friends pointed him to the news.
However, this might be due to official decorum. Once the letter from the Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood arrives, recipients are discreetly asked to keep it confidential. As David well knows, it is considered very poor etiquette to announce such news before the official publication.
Yesterday, however, he excitedly shared reports published in this newspaper about the King’s latest Birthday Honours on Instagram.
A friend added: “Honestly, after all the speculation over the past few weeks, until he’s on bended knee in front of the King, David won’t quite believe it. Obviously he’s shared the news with his immediate family but he won’t be doing any formal celebrations until after the ceremony.
“David would never ever want to be uncouth and openly brag about his honour. He knows how to behave.
“He is still not in contact with Brooklyn and, frankly, it would have been weird for him to reach out and tell him, so he didn’t. It is up to Brooklyn now if he wishes to extend an olive branch and send on his congratulations.
“It is so sad because family means everything to David and he would love his entire clan to be at the investiture. Only time will tell though, but at the moment it is looking unlikely. But for now, David wants to just focus on the positives and celebrate this incredible achievement.”
One can only imagine how proud his loving parents, Sandra and Ted, must be. The whole family adores the monarchy, evidenced by David’s remarkable 12-hour wait in line in 2022 to pay respects to the late Queen.
Over the past year, he has also developed a touching relationship with King Charles – something a young David from Chingford could surely never have envisioned. So much so that the monarch even sent a birthday gift by courier to mark the star’s 50th last month.
David has only shared the details of the gift with his inner circle, though it is described as, “Something personal to Charles and David, something special”. In return, David regularly sends the King supplies of his homegrown honey.
His friendship with Prince William, meanwhile, continues to flourish. The pair exchange texts, and much of their conversation revolves around football, given William is an Aston Villa fan and Patron of the FA.
William also reportedly credits Becks with helping him navigate the challenges of fame and constant public scrutiny.
Despite David’s many successes, the path to this coveted knighthood has not been smooth. His contributions to sport and charity – he has been a dedicated Unicef ambassador for 20 years and recently featured on the cover of Time magazine for his philanthropy – should, in theory, have earned him recognition years ago.
But he encountered some highly publicised difficulties. These include the leaking of private emails in 2017 where, in a moment of frustration, he apparently called the Honours Committee “unappreciative c***s”. Not very decorous indeed.
To his credit, David refused to give in to Russian hackers and pay their £1million ransom to prevent the emails from being made public. While there was initial outrage, his genuine passion and frustration also revealed a more human side.
Overcoming Obstacles
This episode actually endeared him further to many of the public, who have at times questioned the committee’s decisions.
Along with numerous other celebrities, including Ant and Dec, Gary Lineker, Wayne Rooney, and Bob Geldof, he was notably involved in the Ingenious tax avoidance scheme. HMRC won a case against the film financing scheme, resulting in those involved facing substantial backdated tax bills. However, in 2021, David was cleared by tax authorities after demonstrating that his financial affairs were in order, paving the way for his knighthood.
Earlier this month, he appeared on The Sunday Times Rich List, with a combined fortune of £500million alongside his wife.
A £100million deal in 2022 to promote the Qatar World Cup, a state where being gay is illegal, caused controversy for many fans – particularly as he had previously been on the cover of gay lifestyle magazine Attitude and has consistently been a proud LGBTQ+ ally. But again, he was seen as vindicated after the World Cup, with Qatar showing a willingness to be more moderate and welcoming to visitors.
Becks’ recent Netflix documentary – one of the streamer’s most watched shows in 2023 – was also a significant moment for the former Manchester United midfielder. In it, he openly addressed various topics and avoided portraying himself solely as a do-gooder.
Indeed, it even revisited his most infamous footballing moment – the red card against Argentina in the 1998 France World Cup, which led to effigies of him being burned across the country. Showing how far he has come, the documentary featured Diego Simeone, the other player central to the incident. The pair have long been friends.
Says a friend: “David has lived an utterly extraordinary life but, through it all, he has remained a kind, patient and thoroughly decent man.
“Every single day he is approached for selfies and autographs, and he does it all with such good grace. He knows he has a responsibility and does his utmost to use his platform for good.
“He also does countless work behind the scenes that doesn’t get written about or publicised.
“You would be hard-pressed to find someone with a bad word to say against him. It has been a long time coming but, finally, David has what he has always dreamed of.”
Arise, Sir David.
