David Beckham has spoken for the first time about being awarded a knighthood in the King's Birthday Honours, saying he is "immensely proud" to have been recognised. It's been rumoured that the former footballer would be given the honour, which now gives wife Victoria the option to be referred to as Lady Victoria, having been 'snubbed' for more than a decade. For the last 30 years Sir David has transcended football to become one of the most recognisable faces on the planet, and his services to sport and to charity have now led to him being honoured. David, who turned 50 last month, won 115 caps for England, earning 59 of those as captain. He said: “Growing up in east London with parents and grandparents who were so patriotic and proud to be British, I never could have imagined I would receive such a truly humbling honour. "To have played for and captained my country was the greatest privilege of my career and literally a boyhood dream come true. "Off the pitch I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to represent Britain around the world and work with incredible organisations that are supporting communities in need and inspiring the next generation. "I’m so lucky to be able to do the work that I do and I’m grateful to be recognised for work that gives me so much fulfilment. “It will take a little while for the news to sink in but I’m immensely proud and it’s such an emotional moment for me to share with my family." Dad-of-four David won league titles in four countries – England, Spain, the United States and France – and played a key part as Manchester United won the Champions League in 1999 to complete the treble. United said in a club statement: "All of us at Manchester United offer our warm congratulations to David Beckham on this richly-deserved honour. "In the three and a half decades since he joined our academy as a 14-year-old, David has established himself as not only an indelible legend of this football club, but as a wonderful ambassador for the English game as a whole. "David, we salute your achievements and thank you for your tremendous contribution to Manchester United." Since retirement in 2013 Sir David has been heavily involved as the founder and co-owner of American Major League Soccer franchise Inter Miami, whose signing of Argentina superstar Lionel Messi has made them one of the world’s most internationally recognised clubs. Away from football he has been a global ambassador for the humanitarian aid organisation UNICEF since 2005, and last year became an ambassador for the King’s Foundation. Philip Goodwin, UNICEF UK chief executive, said the charity was “thrilled” by Beckham’s knighthood and added: “David Beckham has done an incredible amount to advocate for children’s rights over the last 20 years. "He became a Goodwill Ambassador in 2005 and launched 7: The David Beckham UNICEF Fund in 2015 – with the goal of helping children around the world, especially girls, break down barriers including bullying, violence, child marriage and missed education. "He’s travelled extensively to see UNICEF’s work and used his profile to raise awareness, as well as support our flagship fundraising campaign Soccer Aid for UNICEF and launch global fundraising appeals. We are grateful for all of his support that has done a huge amount to amplify the voices of children around the world."