David Beckham’s knighthood is the culmination of years of tireless efforts to transcend football and turn himself into a global icon at the “intersection of sport, fashion and business.”
The honour, one of the highest bestowed by the UK state, “is a powerful symbolic marker” that reinforces his image as a respectable, committed, and British man, according to Marie Agnes Parmentier, professor of marketing at the University of Montreal.
Beckham had long dreamed of becoming a sir, and King Charles III made it a reality when he announced his birthday’s honours list on Friday.
The knighthood could present new opportunities for the 50-year-old former Manchester United and Real Madrid player, “particularly in diplomatic, charitable or political spheres”, said Parmentier.
Beckham diversified his career after retiring from football in 2013, but success was the result of planning long before he hung up his boots.
“I knew my career was going to end at some point and I wanted to have a career after football,” he said in the documentary series “Beckham”, which aired on Netflix in 2023.
At the height of his football career, Beckham was signing deals with top clothing and beauty brands, building an audience that cut across gender, age, and nationality.
Beckham’s journey to becoming a global icon was not without its challenges.
In 1998, he was called the most hated man in England after he petulantly kicked out at Argentina’s Diego Simeone during their World Cup round of 16 game.
Beckham was harshly sent off, and England lost to their bitter rivals in a penalty shoot-out.
However, the ordeal only sharpened Beckham’s focus, and he went on to have a successful career, finishing second in the Ballon d’Or and helping Manchester United claim an unprecedented treble.
Today, Beckham is best known not for football, “but for being Beckham, the brand”, said sociologist Ellis Cashmore.
His brand is worth £500 million ($676 million), according to The Times newspaper’s 2025 ranking. Beckham has continued to build his brand, unveiling his first collection for Hugo Boss in April and founding the Inter Miami football club.
”It’s a powerful symbolic marker”* that reinforces Beckham’s image as a respectable, committed, and British man, according to Marie Agnes Parmentier.
“I knew my career was going to end at some point and I wanted to have a career after football,”* Beckham said in the documentary series “Beckham”.
“Wherever I went I got abused, every single day,”* Beckham said about the aftermath of the 1998 World Cup incident.
The royal family were quick to embrace Beckham, inviting him to the weddings of Prince William and Kate Middleton in 2011 and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2018.
Previous rumours of an impending knighthood came to nothing, but his star once again rose in 2022 after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, when he lined up with members of the public for almost 12 hours to pay his respects.
Since then, it has seemed that “Sir David” was only a matter of time in coming.
