Former Manchester United and England football icon David Beckham received a knighthood on Saturday, recognising his stellar sporting career and extensive charitable contributions.

The prestigious title, bestowed upon British citizens for exceptional achievements in fields such as sport, politics, and arts, traces its origins to the Middle Ages.

Beckham, now 50, enjoyed a distinguished career, rising through Manchester United’s academy to spend 11 years with the club. His journey took him to Europe’s elite clubs, including Real Madrid, AC Milan, and Paris Saint-Germain.

Internationally, he earned 115 caps for England, captaining the team 59 times and appearing in three World Cup tournaments. His trophy cabinet boasts six Premier League titles, a Champions League crown, and two FA Cups with Manchester United, alongside league titles with Real Madrid and PSG.

Renowned for his technical prowess and clutch performances, Beckham is celebrated for moments like his iconic free-kick against Greece, securing England’s qualification for the 2002 World Cup.

Reflecting on the knighthood, he expressed gratitude: “Captaining and playing for England was the greatest honour of my career—a childhood dream fulfilled. Off the pitch, representing Britain globally and working with remarkable organisations to support communities and inspire youth has been a privilege. I’m deeply proud and emotional to share this moment with my family, and it’s still sinking in.”

Beyond football, Beckham has made significant charitable impacts, notably through his partnership with UNICEF since 2005 and other organisations dedicated to aiding communities in need.

Lionel Messi has added another achievement to his account. Messi was voted FIFA’s best male player for the year 2022. Messi made Argentina the World Cup champion, ending a 36-year drought. He scored seven goals in this tournament.

On the other hand, Alexia Putellas won the female best player award at the FIFA football awards 2022.

Lionel Messi’s compatriot and coach Lionel Scaloni was named the best male coach. Scaloni guided the South Americans to the World Cup title. Messi, 35, left behind French forward Kylin Mbappe and Karim Benzema for this award. Apart from making Argentina the World Cup champion, Messi scored 27 goals in a total of 49 matches for the country and club in 2021-22.

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What did Messi say on receiving the award?

Lionel Messi won the FIFA Best Men’s Player award for the second time. He said, ‘This is wonderful. It has been an amazing year and it is an honour for me to be here to receive the award. I wouldn’t be here without my teammates. I have achieved my long held dream. Only a few people achieve this and I feel fortunate to have done so.’

Lionel Scaloni, the coach who won Argentina the World Cup title, beat Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti at the ceremony in Paris. Guardiola led Manchester City to their sixth Premier League title. At the same time, Ancelotti had given Real Madrid the Champions League title.

England manager Sarina Wigman was voted the best women’s coach of the year. He guided England to the European Championship title last year. It was the team’s first major trophy. Aston Villa and Argentina’s Emiliano Martinez won the best goalkeeper award while England’s Mary Earps won the women’s award. Barcelona’s Alexia Putelas was voted the best female player of the year.

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What many predict to be the last face-off between the two of the greatest players, lived up to its name as Portuguese football star Cristiano Ronaldo went head-to-head with Argentinian striker Lionel Messi on January 19. The friendly match between Al-Nassr and Paris Saint Germain saw the two GOATs playing against each other.

After the match, Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo shared a series of photos on Instagram in which he was seen doing the iconic celebration, as well as scoring the penalty during the match. Aside from the goals, the infamous number 7 also shared the photo of him hugging his arch rival and one of the greatest football players, Lionel Messi, during the match. Ronaldo also shared the picture of him being awarded the Man Of The Match trophy following the clash.

The post was shared by Ronaldo with a caption that stated that he was so happy to be back on the football field. The Portuguese star also added that he is happy to be on the score sheet as well. The 37-year-old also shared that he was happy to see some old friends, implying that it was great to see Messi and a few other former teammates from his stint in Real Madrid.

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The match concluded in a 5-4 win for PSG, however, the match became a riveting clash for the fans to watch as Messi found himself in the scoresheet in the opening minutes of the match, however, Ronaldo answered back with a penalty goal. Ronaldo also scored another goal before coming off. Subsequently after Ronaldo’s substitution, Messi was also taken off the field.

Ronaldo’s Transfer

Only recently the news of Cristiano Ronaldo’s transfer took the footballing world by surprise as he announced that he will be taking his talents to Saudi Arabia’s league club Al-Nassr. The news of Ronaldo transferring to Al-Nasar left many fans heartbroken as the 37 year-old striker’s move to Saudi Arabia was speculated as him turning toward the phase of retirement and stepping away from playing football in big leagues such as Champions league, Premier League and what not.

Ronaldo signed a 2 and a Half year contract till 2025 with Al-Nassr on a free transfer following the number seven’s fallout with Manchester United. The portuguese star is set to earn an unprecedented amount of wages as he will earn 1800 crore rupees a year.