29 December 2023 , 22:30
495
0
David Beckham has once again been overlooked for a knighthood in the New Year's Honours list.
The England legend captured the hearts of the nation during his playing days and remains an immensely popular figure. The former Three Lions captain received an OBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List in 2003 but has been frequently snubbed since then.
Several footballing figures have been given knighthoods, including Beckham's mentor at Manchester United Sir Alex Ferguson. No player though has received one for decades. Recent knighthoods in the sporting world have been given to the likes of Jason Kenny and Lewis Hamilton.
Whilst Beckham remains a fan favourite some of his decisions post-retirement have been questioned. He was caught up in the Ingenious tax avoidance scheme in 2013, although later cleared of wrongdoing and added back to the official recommendations list two years ago.
His chances of receiving an honour took another blow in 2017 following the leaking of a damning set of emails. In those emails, Beckham took aim at the honours committee for omitting him. He called them "unappreciative c***s" and insisted that he didn't "care about being knighted".
MLS side LAFC worth more than 14 Premier League sides after $1bn valuation
David Beckham has missed out on a knighthood once again (AP)He was also alleged to have written: "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."
Beckham appeared to take aim at the previous decision to hand singer Katherine Jenkins an OBE. Beckham is alleged to have written: "For what? Singing at the rugby and going to see the troops." He later claimed that some of the emails had been doctored and as a result were fake.
Last year he caused yet more controversy as he opted to take up an ambassador role for Qatar ahead of the World Cup, for which he is thought to be paid £150million over 10 years. He was a major advocate of the gulf state hosting the tournament despite their record of humans rights issues and stance on homosexuality.
David Beckham is known to be a fan of the monarchy (WireImage)Beckham's recent documentary of Netflix allowed fans an insight into his life and mindset as he reflected on his career as well as his personal life.
He wasn't questioned on the possibility of a knighthood but did underline his respect for the monarchy when he queued up alongside the public for more than 13 hours to see Queen Elizabeth II lying in state just over a year ago.