"Beckham is finally being knighted in England." Completion of English football's greatest icon of all time
"Beckham is finally being knighted in England." Completion of English football's greatest icon of all time
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Britain's proud right foot David Beckham (50) is expected to finally receive a British knighthood. BBC, a British public broadcaster, reported on the 6th local time that "Beckham will be knighted on the list of honours commemorating King Charles III's birthday."
Beckham has already been inducted as a national hero by the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2003, but his knighthood has been canceled several times. BBC reported that the background of the honor is not only his great career as a football player but also his contribution to the British society. The list of honours will be officially announced next week.
Beckham played 115 games for England and retired in 2013 after playing for the world's best clubs such as Manchester United, Real Madrid, LA Galaxy, Paris Saint-Germain, and AC Milan. In particular, he played a key role in the bid for the London Olympics and has been a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador since 2005, establishing the David Beckham UNICEF Fund in 2015 to help children around the world.
But his path to knighthood was never smooth. "Beckham was already nominated for knighthood in 2011, but he was found to have expressed dissatisfaction with the 'honorary system' in an e-mail leaked in 2017, which caused controversy," the BBC said. At the time, Beckham explained that the e-mail was hacked and manipulated, but public opinion did not calm down easily.
The BBC also explained, "Beckham's involvement in the tax avoidance controversy in 2017 has reportedly delayed the order of knighthood again," adding, "However, as tax-related problems were resolved in 2021, the qualification of knighthood was revived."
However, he was criticized for his human rights record when he was found to have made huge profits as an ambassador for Qatar, the host country of the World Cup. In particular, critics say that Beckham, who was dubbed the "Gay icon" as a cover model for the magazine Attitude in 2002, joined hands with a country where homosexuality is illegal. Comedian Joe Raissett also shredded 10,000 pounds of cash in protest against Beckham's activities as an ambassador for Qatar.
Since then, Beckham has expressed his position, saying, "It's positive just that discussions on important issues have begun," and was also praised for waiting 12 hours to pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II's coffin, sharing national mourning and expressing patriotism again.
The BBC analyzed, "Recently, Beckham built a friendship with Prince William and King Charles, supported youth education programs as an ambassador for the King's Foundation, and strengthened his knighthood." In particular, the BBC said, "The Netflix documentary in 2023 changed the public's perception by re-examining his talent and persistence," adding, "He won the Humanitarian Award at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in 2024 and appeared on the cover of Time magazine, raising his status as a global philanthropist." 스포츠토토
"This knighthood is a moment when he is officially recognized for his fame and social contributions as a British sports star and global icon," the BBC said. "His long wait has finally paid off."
Beckham has not made an official statement on the report, and the British government has also said it would not comment on speculation about the training. However, the soccer community and fans are welcoming the decision with open arms.