David Beckham has been awarded a knighthood in the King’s Birthday Honours.

The former England captain has been recognised for both his career as a footballer and his services to charity.

Beckham began his football career at Manchester United, where he made 394 appearances and scored 85 goals, before going on to play for Real Madrid, LA Galaxy, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain.

He made 115 appearances for England, the third-highest of any senior men’s player, and captained his country 59 times.

Beckham has been a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF since 2005, and he also established the 7 Fund aimed at helping vulnerable children around the world.

He supports a number of charities, including the Chelsea Pensioners, Help for Heroes, Great Ormond Street Hospital, Age UK and the London Air Ambulance service.

Luke Littler has been awarded an MBE for services to darts. The 18-year-old is currently the world No 2 and the reigning world champion, the youngest in the sport’s history.

Littler has won two World Series of Darts titles, 13 PDC titles and five major titles in his professional career. He is also the youngest player to hit a televised nine-dart finish.

Littler’s rival, Luke Humphries, has also been awarded an MBE for services to darts. He is the world No 1 and former world champion, having won the title in 2024.

The 30-year-old is also the reigning World Matchplay, Premier League, Players Championship Finals and World Masters champion.

Billy Boston, 90, has become the first rugby league player to receive a knighthood. Boston is regarded as one of the sport’s greatest ever players having scored 571 tries in his career, placing him as the second-highest try scorer in history.

Born in Cardiff, Boston spent 15 years playing for Wigan, scoring a club-record 478 tries in 488 appearances before finishing his career with Blackpool Borough, retiring in 1970.

He also played 31 times for Great Britain, scoring 24 tries and winning the 1960 World Cup.

Virginia Wade has received a CBE for services to tennis and charity. The 79-year-old won three major singles championships – the Australian Open, US Open and Wimbledon – and four major doubles titles.

Wade is the only British woman to have won titles at all four majors and was ranked as the world No 2 in singles and No 1 in doubles.

Wade serves as a patron for the charity Leadership Through Sport and is a director for Compton’s Yard Charitable Trust.

Aston Villa forward Rachel Daly has been awarded an MBE for services to football. Daly holds the joint record for the most goals in a Women’s Super League season with 22 and has won the WSL golden boot, PFA women’s players’ player of the year and player of the season awards, all in the 2022/23 season.

The 33-year-old has played 84 times for England, scoring 16 goals, and was part of the squad that won the Women’s European Championships in 2022.

Other sports stars to be recognised include two-time Olympic triathlon champion Alistair Brownlee, who has been awarded an OBE; while MBEs have been awarded to two-weight boxing world champion Natasha Jonas, former Gloucestershire bowler David Lawrence, who took 625 wickets for the county, and former golfer and Sky Sports pundit Trish Johnson.

Bryan Henderson, head of cricket and NFL at Sky Sports, has been awarded an MBE for services to cricket.

Henderson and Sanjay Patel, the former managing director of The Hundred, were heavily responsible for the planning and delivery of the short-format cricket tournament. The competition will this year deliver hundreds of millions of pounds to the game from the sale of the teams.

“I’m very honoured and humbled,” said Henderson. “It’s a tribute to all the amazing people I’ve been lucky enough to work with at Sky and in the sport I love.”

Patel added: “I feel very privileged to receive this award and to be given the opportunity to work in a sport that I love. I would like to thank the people who supported me and in particular the great team who helped build The Hundred.”

Over a thousand recipients have been awarded for their exceptional achievements, with a particular focus on those who have given their time to public service.

This year’s recipients include dedicated community champions, role models in sport, pioneers in the arts, passionate health workers, and supporters of young people.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “This year’s Birthday Honours List is a powerful reminder of the extraordinary dedication, compassion and service that exists in every corner of our country.

“From community champions to cultural icons, each recipient reflects the very best of Britain. I extend my heartfelt congratulations and gratitude to them all.”