Does David Beckham really deserve a knighthood?

Sir David Beckham. Sir Goldenballs. Once upon a time, when Beckham was in his sarong-wearing Nineties heyday, the idea of this petulant, photogenic but somehow risible footballer being awarded a knighthood would have seemed utterly ridiculous. Yet we now live in an age where other similarly lightweight people can be awarded such honours; Sir Ringo Starr, anyone? And so the absence of a KBE from Beckham’s considerable roster of trophies and honours seems almost unfair. Whatever you make of him, Beckham is one of the most famous living Englishmen, a man who has acted as an informal ambassador for his country for decades. Surely Beckham is worthy of the recognition that he clearly craves?

It must help that Beckham is on good terms with the royal family. This week, he was photographed along with his wife Victoria at a state banquet at Buckingham Palace in honour of the