How many footballers have been knighted?
Former England captain David Beckham is set to become the 16th men's footballer to be knighted.BBC Sport has been told Beckham will become a 'sir' in the King's Birthday Honours list for 2025.In 2003, Beckham was appointed an officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his services to football and he is now set to be awarded a knighthood.Among the former footballers to have been knighted are 1966 World Cup winners Geoff Hurst and Bobby Charlton, former Manchester United managers Alex Ferguson and Matt Busby and former England bosses Gareth Southgate, Alf Ramsey and Walter Winterbottom.
Every footballer with a knighthood
Sir Hubert AshtonLord (Ian) Botham*Sir Trevor BrookingSir Matt BusbySir Bobby CharltonSir Charles CleggSir Kenny DalglishSir Alex FergusonSir Tom FinneySir Geoff HurstSir Stanley MatthewsSir Alf RamseySir Bobby RobsonSir Gareth SouthgateSir Walter WinterbottomThis list excludes honorary knighthoods.Everyone on this list has made at least one professional appearance in England's professional leagues.* While Lord Botham was knighted (and then ennobled) for services to cricket, he also made 11 Football League appearances for Scunthorpe United.This article is the latest from BBC Sport's Ask Me Anything team.
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Ask Me Anything is a service dedicated to answering your questions.We want to reward your time by telling you things you do not know and reminding you of things you do.The team will find out everything you need to know and be able to call upon a network of contacts including our experts and pundits.We will be answering your questions from the heart of the BBC Sport newsroom and going behind the scenes at some of the world's biggest sporting events.Our coverage will span the BBC Sport website, app, social media and YouTube accounts, plus BBC TV and radio.
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