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Poll: Are knighthoods granted too easily?

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David Beckham should never be knighted, according to a new poll.

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More than half of the 1,000 people questioned in a Usurv poll commissioned by Press Association Sport ahead of the former England captain's 40th birthday on Saturday said they did not think Beckham should be awarded the knighthood.

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In the poll, 36.45 per cent of respondents said they would be happy for the ex-Manchester United man to become Sir David Beckham but 50.82 per cent disagreed, with 14.53 per cent saying they did not know whether he should be knighted or not.

Beckham's club career was hugely successful. Part of the so-called 'Class of 92' group of young players drafted into the senior United team, the Leytonstone-born midfielder won six Premier League titles, two FA Cups and one European Cup during his time at Old Trafford and was a key part of the treble-winning squad in the 1998-99 season.

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However, those exploits for United have not translated into popularity in the north-west according to our poll, where only 30.66 per cent of respondents felt he should be made a knight. The region showing greatest support for him to be knighted was the east midlands where 45.15 per cent were in favour, with Yorkshire and the Humber just behind on 44.22 per cent.

He was least popular in East Anglia, where 60.78 per cent were against Beckham being knighted while his native Londoners were also opposed, (57.75 per cent said no).

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Beckham left United in the summer of 2003 to join Real Madrid, where he became one of the club's superstar 'galactico' signings.

Despite the assembly of talent at the Bernabeu it took Beckham until his last season in Spain - 2006-07 - to win the league title. Midway through that campaign he announced he had agreed a five-year deal to move to the United States with Los Angeles Galaxy.

At international level, Beckham won 115 England caps, a record for an outfield player, and captained the team for six years. Beckham put in some excellent performances for England - arguably none greater than his superb display against Greece in 2001 to help England qualify for the following year's World Cup in Japan and South Korea - but he failed to lead what was unquestionably a talented generation of English players to a title, or even to the last four of a major tournament.

Beyond football, Beckham is a global celebrity. His relationship with and subsequent marriage to Spice Girls singer Victoria Adams in 1999 thrust him into the public eye and made him instantly recognisable even to those with no interest in football whatsoever.

His and Victoria's joint wealth was estimated at £240million in last month's 2015 Sunday Times Rich List, with Beckham's football earnings boosted by his endorsement deals.

The Usurv poll showed those on higher incomes - people earning £40,000 a year or more - were least well disposed to Beckham with 60.35 per cent against the idea of him being knighted. The most supportive group were those earning between £20,000 and £39,999, where 39.2 per cent felt he should be awarded the honour.

The poll showed Beckham was more popular among women than men, with 35.68 per cent of female respondents saying he should be knighted compared with 33.58 per cent of men.

Beckham was awarded an OBE for services to football in the Queen's Birthday Honours List in June 2003.

In 2005 Beckham's star status was credited with helping London succeed in its bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games and he played a prominent role in the opening ceremony for the event, riding on a speedboat down the River Thames carrying the Olympic flame to the main stadium.

Beckham is an ambassador the UNICEF charity, and earlier this year set up the 7 fund - named after the shirt number he wore with United and England - to help vulnerable children at risk of violence, abuse or disease.