David Beckham to be knighted

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Former England football captain David Beckham is set to be awarded a knighthood in King Charles’ Birthday Honours.

Beckham, 50, was appointed an officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2003.

But now he is in line to receive further recognition for both his football career, and his contributions to British society, with the list of recipients to be published next week.

Ambassador for Unicef

Beckham played 115 times for England as well as for Manchester United, Real Madrid, LA Galaxy, Paris St-Germain and AC Milan, before retiring in 2013.

Beckham was reportedly first nominated for a knighthood in 2011.

Beckham played a key role in securing the 2012 London Olympics, and has been an ambassador for Unicef since 2005.

Unicef – which supports vulnerable children around the world – launched ‘The David Beckham Unicef Fund’ in 2015 to mark a decade’s partnership between the two.

Beckham became an ambassador for The King’s Foundation in 2024, supporting King Charles’ education programme and efforts to ensure young people have a greater understanding of nature.

He is also part-owner of League Two side Salford City, as well as president and co-owner of Major League Soccer team Inter Miami in the United States.

He helped set-up the Inter Miami CF Foundation – a community driven not-for-profit enterprise that looks to empower underserved communities, using football as a catalyst.

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