David Beckham Snubbed for Knighthood Again After Criticizing Honours List in Leaked Emails

David Beckham has once again missed out on a knighthood as the New Year's Honours list was revealed, more than seven years after his critical leaked emails about the committee's decision not to award him the title.

One of the most prominent figures in British sport, Beckham captained the England national team and enjoyed a glittering career with clubs such as Manchester United, Real Madrid, AC Milan, and PSG, collecting major trophies including the Premier League, La Liga, and the Champions League. He is also the founder and owner of MLS club Inter Miami, and many of his fans have long considered him a "sir in waiting" due to his immense contributions to football.

However, despite his illustrious career, the 49-year-old has yet to receive a knighthood, still holding only the OBE he was awarded in 2003.

This latest omission follows a 2017 leak of emails in which Beckham allegedly expressed frustration with the honours committee, calling them "unappreciative c***s" and claiming he “didn’t care about being knighted.” He also reportedly said, “I expected nothing less. It’s a disgrace to be honest and if I was American, I would have gotten something like this 10 years ago." Beckham later suggested that some of the leaked emails were doctored.

In the same emails, Beckham reportedly criticized opera singer Katherine Jenkins for receiving an OBE, dismissing it as "a joke."

Despite his substantial charity work, particularly with UNICEF, which many thought would bolster his case for a knighthood, additional leaked emails allegedly showed him refusing to donate $1 million to the organization.

The leaked emails also revealed Beckham’s cold response to a request from a PR representative for UNICEF asking him to contribute $1m (£800,000) towards a prize-giving dinner in Shanghai. Beckham allegedly replied, “I don’t want to put my personal money into this cause. To pour this million into the fund is like putting my own money in. If there was no fund, the money would be for me. This f***ing money is mine.”

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However, a close friend of Beckham spoke to The Mirror in 2017, stating, “He is very calm at the moment because he knows the great work that he has done for UNICEF.

"But he is just saddened that people would question all of that work. Genuinely, he wasn’t as vitriolic as that, but you do say some things in private and in the heat of the moment.

"To be honest, he does feel that he has given so much to his country. And sometimes you say things in private that anyone would say and you don’t really mean it.

"While he was frustrated in those emails, he was over it the moment he sent them. Getting the knighthood is not what his work is about. He doesn’t care if he gets a knighthood or not."