Arise, Sir David Beckham?

For what? Yes, he is the most famous Englishman ever, a household name to small Kalahari or Amazonian children who have never heard of, say, Shakespeare or Churchill. But even Bobby Moore, who actually captained a World Cup-winning side, was never knighted. One might argue that, had a lived a couple more years, then he would have been, like Geoff Hurst or the Charltons. And one might be right. But there is no way of knowing. Anyway, Geoff Hurst and the Charltons were knighted well into middle age, having been doing charity work and such like for decades.

Sir David Beckham in 25 years time, perhaps. But not yet.