Should it be 'arise Sir David Beckham' this year?... Absolutely

11 December 2024, 10:22

When the New Years honours list is published much attention will focus on whether it will finally give David Beckham the recognition he so clearly craves.

The will-he, wont-he saga has become a bit of a joke and whatever you think of the former England captain he is now a world away from the sarong-wearing Goldenballs of the 1990s and early 2000s when he was almost as famous for his lifestyle as his undoubted football talent.

Now, no-one can deny he is one of the most famous living Englishmen and has acted as an informal ambassador for Britain for decades.

Only days ago he and his wife, former Spice Girl Victoria were surprise guests at a lavish state banquet in honour of the Emir of Qatar.

Royal sources have described the former England captain as the "perfect guest."

Was the banquet the culmination of Beckham's long time support for the monarchy?

This year he has clearly grown closer to both Charles and William.

In October, he was alongside the Prince of Wales at RAF Northolt when William unveiled two new helicopters for the London Air Ambulance and his pride was evident upon accepting Charles offer to be an ambassador for the King's Foundation.

It is a long way from the stadiums where the former football star made his name.

I don't want to downplay the achievements of other sporting stars to receive knighthoods in recent years but have the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Mark Cavendish or Alistair Cook achieved more for both their sport and the country than Beckham?

I'm sure Beckham would have received his gong had he not become embroiled in a tax avoidance scheme 11 years ago.

Although Beckham was swiftly cleared of any wrongdoing, and theoretically placed on a fast-track honours recommendation list, the snub clearly rankled.

Embarrassing emails then surfaced in 2017 in which Beckham declared that: “I expected nothing less. It’s a disgrace to be honest and if I was American I would of [sic] got something like this 10 years ago.”

He added that the honours committee were “unappreciative c***s.”

But that was seven years ago. Beckham's reputation seems to have recovered from this setback.

A photo of the King giving Beckham a tour of his Highgrove home sits prominently on the ex-footballer’s website under the philanthropy section.

We’ll have to wait until the new year to see whether it’s enough to have sealed the deal for his knighthood.

But for what he has done for this country, it should be.

Arise Sir David. It has a good ring to it.

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