Former Manchester United midfielder Sir David Beckham deserves his knighthood, according to Rio Ferdinand.
It has been a week to remember for Sir David Beckham.
The former England international became the fifth Manchester United figure to receive a knighthood.
Beckham joins a prestigious list that includes Sir Matt Busby, Sir Alex Ferguson and Sir Bobby Charlton.
After graduating from United’s academy, Beckham made his Premier League debut in 1995 and was part of the Treble-winning team four years later – when his corner kicks proved to be a nightmare for Bayern Munich.
Beckham also scored 85 goals and won six Premier League titles and two FA Cups before signing for Real Madrid in 2003.
Rio Ferdinand hails Sir David Beckham
They say good things come to those who wait.
After receiving his OBE in 2003, Beckham was awarded a knighthood for his services to sport and charity. He was accompanied by his wife, Victoria, as well as his parents at Windsor Castle.
Beckham had been in the running for a knighthood for a long time after initially being put forward in 2011 following London’s successful bid to host the 2012 Olympics.
The reaction to Beckham’s knighthood has been positive, with Rio Ferdinand stressing that his former teammate is deserving of the accolade.
In an interview with LBC Radio, Ferdinand spoke highly of Beckham, saying: “Listen, he deserves it.
“I think he’s, if we’re looking at somebody that’s worked hard, that has come from not nothing but come from somewhere where he’s had to work to get to the levels that he’s at, no one could have imagined that he’d become a world superstar icon that he is. He deserves it.
“I don’t know many that work as hard as him or put the mileage in that he does. And he’s become an icon, not just on a football pitch, but also off the pitch in different areas as well. So if anyone’s deserving and we see some people get these accolades and you go, “Oh,” you have to think about why they’ve got it and scratch your head a little bit sometimes. Not with this man.”
Beckham’s knighthood makes him the first Premier League player to earn one.
Other knights who played in the English top-flight include Sir Kenny Dalglish and Sir Geoff Hurst.
Sir David Beckham’s assist record at Man Utd
Beckham had an incredible eye for an assist and benefited massively from his ability to cross the ball.
He assisted 10 or more Premier League goals in four consecutive seasons between 1997/98 and 2000/01 – becoming the first player to do so.
Furthermore, between his first Premier League appearance in April 1995 and May 2003, Beckham assisted more goals (80) than any other player. He was closely rivalled by Dennis Bergkamp (74) and Ryan Giggs (68).
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