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David Beckham to Be Honored by British Royalty

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Marcelo Cartaxo | Last updated Jun 6, 2025 11:22 AM ET

David Beckham is more than just the co-owner of Inter Miami. He’s also a fashion icon from the early 2000s, one of the best set-piece takers in Premier League history, and a businessman. And now, he is about to receive one of the greatest honors an Englishman can receive from the royalty.

Beckham left his footprints wherever he went. From being just a kid in the Manchester United academy, he went on to win Premier League and Champions League titles with the club. The midfielder was never as successful in terms of titles as he was with United in the 1990s and the early 2000s, before Zinedine Zidane asked him to join Real Madrid.

On the other side, when he signed with Real Madrid, Beckham became one of the most popular people in the world. His style outside the pitch, in the training ground, and on magazine covers took the world by storm, and he became a marketing weapon that drew the public’s eyes to England.

Now, with over 40 years of his life dedicated to soccer, according to Sky Sports, England’s royalty will confer upon him a knighthood title in the King’s Birthday Honors. From that moment on, the former captain of the England’s national team will be known as Sir David Beckham.

David Beckham is expected to receive a knighthood in the King's Birthday Honours list! ️

The former England captain, who is an OBE, will receive further recognition for both his career as a footballer and his contributions to British society pic.twitter.com/0Rm677SI6d
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) June 6, 2025

Beckham has been present in many events organized by the royalty. It's most notorious presence so far was in the Prince Harry's wedding, where he was the only person to have a tattoo on the head to enter the Windsor Castle that day.

Beckham transformed the MLS

David Beckham is one of the reasons a MLS team can land a star player from Europe in their prime - or right after. In 2007, when Beckham was playing at the top of his game, he left Real Madrid to join LA Galaxy and prepare for the future.

The contract with the club and Major League Soccer had many details, but the most important one was that when he finished his career, he had the right to create a new club in the league.

Another major impact from Beckham in the MLS was the creation of a ‘rule’ with his name – or the Designated Player Rule. Every team would have the right to sign three players who would be outside the team’s salary cap. With this rule, Inter Miami was able to sign Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, and Lionel Messi.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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