IT has been ten years of tears, toil and the one unfortunate tantrum, but FINALLY David Beckham has landed his knighthood.
Never has a man grafted harder — or deserved the nod — more.
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Quite how Goldenballs has turned things around following a hat-trick of personal disasters — more on them later — is testament to both the man himself and his incredible work ethic.
Last night, a friend said: “Quite simply, this is the ultimate accolade for David.
“Forget the medals, the trophies, the global fame and the millions in the bank. As a genuine and devoted royalist this means more to him than anything. It is his lifetime’s work — and he’s still only 50.
“People don’t seem to realise how hard David works. His determination and work ethic is second to none.
“Despite all the setbacks, he knew he could turn things around and prove people wrong. And he’s done it.
“His family and friends are incredibly proud, and David himself is beyond happy.
“After all these years, he’s still a bit of a mum’s boy and is so thrilled his mum Sandra gets to see this. It is a huge moment in the Beckham clan.”
For millions of fans, the knighthood is long overdue.
And certainly, within hours of The Sun breaking the news yesterday, social media was flooded with messages of congratulations.
Only a cynic, or a republican, could deny David Robert Joseph Beckham this honour.
A former England captain — a player whose last-gasp free kick against Greece in 2001 sent the nation through to the World Cup finals — his career on the pitch was Roy Of The Rovers stuff.
But it is off the pitch where Becks has really come into his own, single-handedly revolutionising how players regard themselves.
Rather than being seen as a fledgling commodity, Becks (ably assisted by a commercially driven team who recognised his poster boy looks, talent and genuine goodness) had the foresight to market himself as a brand.
In short, he has transcended the sport.
With more endorsement deals than you can shake a stick at, such canniness meant that by the age of 35, David knew he need never kick a ball or work again, if he so chose.
Until Becks came along, retirement for top-flight players — many of whom leave school without so much as a GCSE to their name — meant a life of lost identity and panic.
Now, inspired by Becks Inc, newer stars have secured their own marketing rights, ensuring a golden future away from the pitch.
A generation of footballers’ kids and grandkids will have David to thank for their homes, cars and private school education.
In short, David was, and continues to be, a trailblazer.
While it is his wife — the soon-to- be Lady Beckham — who is the acclaimed fashion designer, ironically it is Beckham who created the defining aesthetic of the 21st Century: The tattoo sleeve.
Trailblazer
His first inking came in 1999 — a dedication to his eldest son, Brooklyn.
How sad, then, that the 26-year-old influencer, who hasn’t spoken to his dad meaningfully in seven months, only found out about the knighthood after being directed to The Sun’s exclusive story by pals.
David would never ever want to be uncouth and openly brag about his honour. He knows how to behave
A friend
However, this could well be a decorum thing.
After all, once the letter from the Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood comes in the post, recipients are politely asked to keep schtum.
“It is, as David well knows, considered terribly poor etiquette to tell all and sundry in advance of the official publication.
Yesterday, however, he excitedly took to Instagram to re-post reports, published in this newspaper, about the King’s latest Birthday Honours.
A friend added: “Honestly, after all the speculation over the past few weeks, until he’s on bended knee in front of the King, David won’t quite believe it. Obviously he’s shared the news with his immediate family but he won’t be doing any formal celebrations until after the ceremony.
“David would never ever want to be uncouth and openly brag about his honour. He knows how to behave.
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“He is still not in contact with Brooklyn and, frankly, it would have been weird for him to reach out and tell him, so he didn’t. It is up to Brooklyn now if he wishes to extend an olive branch and send on his congratulations.
“It is so sad because family means everything to David and he would love his entire clan to be at the investiture. Only time will tell though, but at the moment it is looking unlikely. But for now, David wants to just focus on the positives and celebrate this incredible achievement.”
One can only imagine how proud his loving parents, Sandra and Ted, must be.
The whole family adores the monarchy, as David’s remarkable 12-hour vigil in line in 2022 to pay his respects to the late Queen proved.
Over the past year he has also developed a touching relationship with King Charles — something a young Chingford-raised David could, surely, never have imagined.
So much so that the monarch even sent over a birthday gift by courier to mark the star’s 50th last month.
Human side
Again, David has only shared with his inner circle what the gift was, although I am told it is, “Something personal to Charles and David, something special”.
In return, of course, David has sent the King regular supplies of his homegrown honey.
His friendship with Prince William, meanwhile, continues to flourish.
The pair are on texting terms, and as William is an Aston Villa fan and Patron of the FA, much of their chat is football-related.
But William also credits Becks with helping him navigate fame and the endless public scrutiny he faces each day.
Despite David’s well-documented highs, the path to this coveted knighthood has not been smooth.
After all these years, he’s still a bit of a mum’s boy and is so thrilled his mum Sandra gets to see this. It is a huge moment in the Beckham clan
A friend
His sporting and charity endeavours — he has been a devoted Unicef ambassador for 20 years and was recently on the front cover of Time magazine in recognition of his philanthropy — should, on paper, have seen him recognised years ago.
But he has had some widely publicised, erm, hiccups.
These include the leaking of private emails in 2017 in which, embarrassingly, he labelled the Honours Committee “unappreciative c***s”. Not very decorous.
But to his credit, David refused to kowtow to Russian hackers and pay their £1million ransom to stop the hacked emails being made public.
While initially there was some outrage, his genuine passion and frustration also showed his human side.
‘Thoroughly decent’
It only endeared him further to many of the public, me included, who have variously questioned the committee’s track record.
Alongside a raft of other celebrities, including Ant and Dec, Gary Lineker, Wayne Rooney and Bob Geldof, he was also famously caught up in the Ingenious tax avoidance scheme.
HMRC won a case against the film financing tax-avoidance scheme, which then saw those involved landed with a huge backdated tax bill.
However, in 2021 David was cleared by tax chiefs after proving his financial affairs were all in order, giving him the green light for a knighthood.
And earlier this month he appeared on The Sunday Times Rich List, worth a combined £500million alongside his Spice Girl wife.
A £100million 2022 World Cup deal with Qatar, a state where it is illegal to be gay, did not sit well with many fans — especially as he had previously graced the cover of gay lifestyle magazine Attitude and has always been a proud LGBTQ ally.
But again, he was vindicated following the World Cup, with Qatar welcoming all-comers and showing willingness to be more moderate in its views.
Becks’ recent Netflix documentary — one of the streamer’s most watched shows in 2023 — was also a game-changer for the former Manchester United midfield ace.
David has lived an utterly extraordinary life but, through it all, he has remained a kind, patient and thoroughly decent man
A friend
In it, he did not shy away from any topics and refused to make it dedicated solely to his do-gooding.
Indeed, it even referenced his worst footballing moment — that 1998 sending-off against Argentina in the France World Cup that led to effigies of him being hanged across the country.
Showing just how full circle he has come, the documentary featured Diego Simeone, the other player at the centre of the red card incident. The pair have long been pals.
Says a friend: “David has lived an utterly extraordinary life but, through it all, he has remained a kind, patient and thoroughly decent man.
‘Utterly extraordinary life
“Every single day he is approached for selfies and autographs, and he does it all with such good grace. He knows he has a responsibility and does his utmost to use his platform for good.
“He also does countless work behind the scenes that doesn’t get written about or publicised.
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“You would be hard-pressed to find someone with a bad word to say against him. It has been a long time coming but, finally, David has what he has always dreamed of.”
Arise, Sir David.
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