David Beckham claimed that he ‘never could have imagined’ receiving the ‘truly humbling honour’ of a knighthood after he was finally named among the recipients in King Charles’ Birthday Honours list last week.
The prize has eluded the former England captain for more than a decade having previously missed out when a ‘red flag’ from the taxman blocked him becoming a Sir in 2014.
Leaked emails suggested he had savaged the nominations committee as ‘unappreciative c***s’ and branded their decision ‘a disgrace’, although his office subsequently insisted they had been doctored by a hacker.
But that is now all behind the Inter Miami owner who is set to join the growing list of footballers to be crowned Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.
Those associated with the nation’s favourite sport have seen their recognition skyrocket in the last two decades, having all but dried up in the 70s and 80s.
However, with the feel-good factor now somewhat restored to the game in this country, Beckham might not be the last former pro to get the nod from the reigning monarch. Here, Mail Sport takes a look at the 15 men to have made at least one appearance in England’s professional leagues to be knighted.
Sir Charles Clegg, 1927
Clegg is widely considered to be the first recipient for services to football after being knighted by King George V in 1927, though his citation did not mention the sport.
Clegg was a player and later became both the chairman and president of the FA. He is also credited as being one of the founders of Sheffield United and also served as chairman and president of Sheffield Wednesday.
Clegg’s remarkable resume in the game also includes his participation in the first-ever international match between England and Scotland in 1872.
He was knighted for services to the Board of Trade and Ministry of Labour in the King’s 1927 Birthday Honours list.
Sir Hubert Ashton, 1959
It would take 32 years, after the country had recovered from the devastation of war and sport returned to it’s place at the front of public consciousness, for another footballing knight was honoured.
Though, Sir Hubert Ashton’s association with the game appears to have had little bearing on his award. In a sporting context, Ashton is best known for his contribution to cricket, having played 71 first-class matches.
Domestically he represented Cambridge University, Essex and Marylebone Cricket Club, while at international level he turned out for India, the country of his birth, as well as Burma.
Ashton’s sole Football League appearance came during the 1924-25 season when he played for Bristol Rovers against Reading. He later joined Clapton Orient, making five appearances, before signing for Gillingham, where he ended his footballing career to focus on cricket.
After his playing days were done, Ashton first went into cricket administration before entering UK politics, where he was elected as a Conservative Member of Parliament in 1950, a seat he would hold for the next three general elections.
He was knighted for political and public services by Queen Elizabeth II in 1959.
Sir Stanley Matthews, 1965
‘The Wizard of the Dribble’, Stanley Matthews is the only player to be knighted while still playing football, having already been crowned as the first winner of both the Ballon d’Or and the FWA Footballer of the Year.
Matthew’s skills on the pitch were legendary but it is perhaps his longevity that is best remembered today. He is the oldest player to play in England’s top flight ( 50 years and five days) and the oldest to represent England (42 years and 104 days).
Matthews spent the majority of his career at Stoke City and Blackpool and represented the Three Lions at two World Cups.
The former winger was knighted in 1965 for his services to football just before his 50th birthday.
Sir Alf Ramsey, 1967
The only man to lead England’s men’s team to a major trophy needs no introduction. Ramsey was honoured for that very achievement in 1966 when he led the Three Lions to victory over West Germany and lifted the World Cup.
Ramsey also guided the side to third place at the European Championship in 1968 and the quarter-finals of the 1970 World Cup, when their campaign was ended by eventual winners Brazil.
Before he took over the reins of the national side in 1963, Ramsey took Ipswich Town from the third tier to a top-flight title in five years.
During his playing days he earned 32 caps for England and spent the majority of his career with Tottenham, with whom he won the league title in 1951.
Sir Matt Busby, 1968
Another bonafide legend of the British game, Sir Matt Busby was honoured shortly after leading Manchester United to the European Cup in 1968.
The former forward spent his playing days turning out for Manchester City and Liverpool but it was with their rival that he became a great of the game. Busby famously assembled one of the most brilliant sides – affectionately known as the Busby Babes – that won the top flight in 1956 and 1957.
But after the Munich air disaster of 1958 tragically killed seven United players and three club officials, Busby was tasked with rebuilding his side. With the legendary trident of Bobby Charlton, Denis Law and George Best, United returned to the pinnacle of European football a decade after the tragedy and even had a further two league titles and an FA Cup in their cabinet.
Sir Walter Winterbottom, 1978
The first manager of the England men’s national team, Winterbottom held the position for a total of 16 years, leading the Three Lions to four World Cups. He has the distinction of being England’s first, youngest and longest serving boss.
Winterbottom made 26 appearances for Manchester United before his playing career was cut short by injury in 1938.
He founded the National Coaching Centre and inspired a generation of players to take up coaching.
In 1962 he became secretary of the Central Council for Physical Recreation and in 1978 he was knighted for Services to Sport. A bust of him proudly sits at the Three Lions’ national football centre at St George’s Park.
Sir Bobby Charlton, 1994
Another titan of the British game who needs no introduction, Charlton was knighted in 1994, with the only surprise being it took so long for him to receive the honour.
Charlton, a survivor the Munich air disaster, made 758 appearances for Manchester United and earned 106 caps for England. In a glittering 17-year spell with United he won three league titles, the FA Cup and captained the Red Devils when they became the first English club to win the European Cup.
Known for his powerful shot and distinctive hairstyle, Charlton scored 249 goals for Man United – including two in the famous 1968 European Cup final win over Benfica.
Charlton also scored 49 goals for his country and won the Ballon d’Or in 1966 for his part in England’s World Cup triumph.
Sir Tom Finney, 1998
The man known as the ‘Preston Plumber’, Finney won 76 caps and scored 30 international goals, and played for Preston 569 times in his 14 years at the club.
Regarded as one of the true greats of English football, Finney’s record is all the more impressive given the lost six years to the Second World War. He spent his entire career at Deepdale, scoring 220 goals from 1946 until 1960.
Remarkably, he supplemented his meagre wages – capped at £20 a week for all footballers until 1961 – by working as a plumber, earning himself the famous nickname.
He was named Footballer of the Year in 1954 and 1957 and was an FA Cup runner-up in 1954. Preston were relegated from the top flight a year after Finney’s retirement and have not returned since.
Having been appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1961 after retirement and later a Commander in 1992, in recognition of his charitable work, Finney was made a knight in 1998.
Sir Geoff Hurst, 1998
Ahead of England’s World Cup campaign in France, the nation’s hat-trick hero Hurst was honoured with a knighthood for his contributions to the game.
The former striker is best remembered for his decisive contributions in the 4-2 win over West Germany at Wembley but Hurst also enjoyed great success at club level with West Ham, winning the FA Cup and Cup Winners’ Cup.
In all, he made 500 first team appearances for the Hammers and scored 242 goals.
Sir Alex Ferguson, 1999
In a bumper few years for football knighthoods, Ferguson was honoured for the crowning achievement of his career; leading Man United to English football’s first continental treble in 1999.
Widely considered as the greatest football manager of all-time, the Scot enjoyed 27 trophy-laden years at Old Trafford before his retirement in 2013.
The 38 major trophies Ferguson won in his time at United include two European Cups, 13 Premier League titles, five FA Cups, four League Cups, the European Cup Winners’ Cup, the European Super Cup, the Intercontinental Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.
Prior to that, Ferguson elevated unfancied Aberdeen to challenge the established order of the Old Firm teams from his home city of Glasgow during the 1980s.
There were three Scottish Premier Division titles, four Scottish Cups, a Scottish League Cup and, most memorably, their triumph over Real Madrid in the 1983 European Cup Winners’ Cup final.
Sir Bobby Robson, 2002
Knighthoods for former footballers continued at pace with the award for Robson for his services to football in 2002. Robson was known throughout the world for being a gentleman of British sport.
His exploits as an England manager, whose 1990 side were the width of a post away from a place in the World Cup final, meant he was the country’s most successful national boss since Sir Alf Ramsey, though that distinction has since been claimed by Gareth Southgate.
Before that, his passion and expertise nurtured Ipswich Town into a European force, and after England, the 1990s saw him win trophies in Holland, Portugal and Spain.
Sir Trevor Brooking, 2004
Brooking’s list of achievements in football include two FA Cups and four player of the season gongs won with West Ham, for whom he made almost 650 appearances.
Brooking, a former midfielder, also made 47 appearances for England.
The Hammers legend is perhaps best remembered to a certain generation for his media work, which included punditry gigs for the BBC on Match of the Day and coverage of the World Cup and European Championships. He was also co-commentator for a number of years alongside Peter Brackley in Pro Evolution Soccer.
Brooking was largely recognised for his work as a sports administrator having been chair of the Eastern Region Council for Sport and Recreation from 1987 until 1997, and between 1999 and 2002, chairman of Sport England.
In January of 2004 he joined the FA as Director of Football.
Lord Ian Botham, 2007
Let’s clear something up straight from the off. Botham is only on the list because of his short time in the Football League with Scunthorpe United in the 80s.
That 11-game spell would obviously not have been enough for him to be knighted. Instead, it’s his remarkable cricket career that saw him recognised, while his support for Brexit in 2016 saw him awarded a peerage by then Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Botham finished his career as England’s leading Test wicket-taker with 383 victims and over 5,000 Test runs. The England star also played for Somerset, Worcestershire, Durham and Queensland.
In December 2004, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards.
He played his first Test in Nottingham in July 1977, bowling Australian Greg Chappell for his first wicket and taking five in the innings.
Sir Kenny Dalglish, 2018
Seven years ago, Dalglish received his knighthood from the Prince of Wales for services to football, charity, and the city of Liverpool.
Dalglish won six First Division championships and three European Cups as a Liverpool player before guiding the club to three more league titles as a manager. He also led Blackburn Rovers to the Premier League title in 1995. He won a number of honours with Celtic at the beginning of his playing career and earned 102 caps for Scotland during an international career that spanned 15 years.
Off the field, Dalglish supported the families of the victims of the 1989 Hillsborough Disaster and he has raised more than £10million for charity alongside his wife Marina.
Sir Gareth Southgate, 2025
Former England boss Gareth Southgate was awarded a knighthood following the Three Lions’ run to the final of the European Championship last year. The former defender also led England to the final of Euro 2020 and the semi-final of the 2018 World Cup.
Southgate resigned after the heartbreaking 2-1 final defeat by Spain last July following an eight-year stint that restored hope to the national team.
Southgate initially took charge of England on an interim basis. He assumed the position after a turbulent era of English football, in which fellow former Three Lions boss Sam Allardyce left the role by mutual consent after just 67 days, in 2016.
The 54-year-old was in charge for 102 matches, winning 64 of those, drawing 20, and losing just 18.
