English soccer star David Beckham was knighted by King Charles III at Windsor Castle on Tuesday.
Beckham received the honor based on his contributions to sports and charity.
“This is without doubt my proudest moment,” Beckham, 50, said. “I’ve been very obviously lucky in my career to have won what I’ve won and done what I’ve done, but to receive an honor like this, of a knight, is beyond anything that I ever thought that I would receive.”
He wore a gray suit made by his wife, Lady Victoria “Posh Spice” Beckham, who accompanied him Tuesday.
Beckham, who was a star midfielder for Manchester United — where he won the Premier League six times — played for Real Madrid, L.A. Galaxy, Paris Saint-Germain and AC Milan before retiring in 2013. He also played 115 games for the English national team, 59 times as captain.
He is the only English soccer player to score at three different World Cups. The east London native also played a pivotal role in bringing the 2012 Summer Olympics to the city.
He now co-owns the Major League Soccer team Inter Miami.
Beckham’s also been a goodwill ambassador for humanitarian aid organization UNICEF since 2005, a partner with the U.N.’s children’s fund and campaigned to eradicate malaria.
“All the things that I do, I do out of love,” he said. “I don’t do it because I’m forced to do it, I don’t do it because I have to do it, I do it because it’s important.
“To be honest, a young boy from the east end of London, born in Leytonstone, and here at Windsor Castle, being honored by His Majesty the King — the most important and the most respected institution in the world – it’s quite a moment,” he said.
Nobel Prize-winning novelist Sir Kazuo Ishiguro and West End and Broadway musical performer Dame Elaine Paige were among the others honored at Tuesday’s ceremony.
