King’s Birthday Honours list 2025: David Beckham awarded knighthood while Luke Littler receives MBE | Football News

David Beckham received a chivalry in the honors of the King’s birthday.

The former captain of England was recognized for his career as a footballer and his services to charities.

Beckham began his football career in Manchester United, where he made 394 appearances and scored 85 goals, before playing for Real Madrid, Galaxy, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain.

He made 115 appearances for England, the third highest of all senior male players and capitalized on his country 59 times.

Beckham has been a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF since 2005, and he also created Fund 7 to help vulnerable children around the world.

It supports a number of charities, including Chelsea, Help for Heroes, Great Ormond Street Hospital, Age Uk and London Air Ambulance Service.

Luke Littler received a MBE for dart services. The 18 -year -old is currently the world’s n ° 2 and the defending world champion, the youngest in the history of sport.

Littler won two titles from the World Series of Darts, 13 PDC titles and five major titles in his professional career. He is also the youngest player to hit a nine plans television finish.

Littler’s rival, Luke Humphriesalso received a MBE for dart services. It is the world’s n ° 1 and the former world champion, having won the title in 2024.

The 30 -year -old is also the matchplay, the first League, the Premier League, the finals of the players’ championship and the world champion.

Billy Boston, 90, became the first player in the Rugby League to receive a chivalry. Boston is considered one of the greatest players in sport that has marked 571 trials in his career, placing him as the second top scorer in history.

Born in Cardiff, Boston spent 15 years playing for Wigan, marking a club record 478 trials in 488 appearances before ending his career with Blackpool Borough, retired in 1970.

He also played 31 times for Great Britain, marking 24 tests and winning the 1960 World Cup.

Virginie Wade received a CBE for tennis and charity services. The 79 -year -old has won three major championships in single – the Australian Open, US Open and Wimbledon – and four main double titles.

Wade is the only British woman to have won titles in the four majors and was classified in the world n ° 2 in single and n ° 1 in double.

Wade serves as a patron with charity leadership via Sport and is Director of Compton’s Yard Charitable Trust.

Aston Villa Forward Rachel Daly received a MBE for football services. Daly holds the joint record for the most goals in a season of female super league with 22 and won the WSL Golden Boot, the player of the year of the PFA players and the prices of the player of the season, all of the 2022/23 season.

The 33 -year -old man played 84 times for England, scoring 16 goals and was part of the team that won the female European championships in 2022.

The other sports stars to recognize include the double champion of the Olympic triathlon Alistair Brownleewho received an OBE; While the MBES were awarded to two world boxing champion Natasha Jonas, Former Gloucestershire launcher David Lawrencewho took 625 counters for the county, and the former golfer and Sky Sports Pundit Trish Johnson.

Bryan Henderson, head of cricket and NFL at Sky Sports, received a MBA for cricket services.

Henderson and Sanjay Patel, the former managing director of The Hundred, were strongly responsible for planning and delivery of the short cricket tournament. The competition will provide hundreds of millions of pounds to the game this year from the sale of the teams.

“I am very honored and humiliated,” said Henderson. “It is a tribute to all the incredible people with whom I had the chance to work at Sky and in the sport that I love.”

Patel added: “I feel very privileged to receive this award and to have the opportunity to work in a sport that I like. I would like to thank the people who supported me and in particular the great team that helped build the hundred.”

More than a thousand recipients have been awarded for their exceptional achievements, with a particular emphasis on those who gave their time to the public service.

This year’s recipients include dedicated community champions, role models in sport, pioneers in the arts, passionate health workers and supporters of young people.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “This year’s birthday list is a powerful reminder of the extraordinary dedication, compassion and service that exists in every corner of our country.

“From community champions to cultural icons, each recipient reflects the best of Great Britain. I extend my sincere congratulations and my gratitude to all.”