Gareth Southgate knighted in New Year Honours 2025 - full list of sports stars recognised

Former England football manager Gareth Southgate has been rewarded with a knighthood in the New Year Honours.

Under his leadership, England reached two consecutive European Championship finals and the 2018 World Cup semi-finals, marking him as the most successful England boss since Sir Alf Ramsey. After leaving his post following the Euro 2024 final defeat to Spain in July, 54-year-old Southgate joins an elite group of knights alongside Ramsey, Sir Walter Winterbottom, and Sir Bobby Robson.

In other sporting accolades, Welsh rugby icon Gerald Davies has also received a knighthood for his contributions to rugby and his charitable work in Wales. His illustrious career saw him represent Wales from 1966 to 1978, achieve three Grand Slams and make his mark with the Lions on their 1968 and 1971 tours.

A clearly moved Davies shared with PA news agency: "I feel very emotional about it. I am surprised by it. Words are really quite inadequate to describe it. It comes out of the blue. I was dumbstruck in many ways, but you don’t achieve these things on your own."

The country's honour list also highlights the extraordinary success of Team GB’s athletes in Paris 2024. Among them, Hannah Cockcroft, nine-time Paralympic champion, has been appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), while Keely Hodgkinson, Olympic 800m gold medallist, now holds the title Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE).

Cockroft has expressed profound delight, saying: "Being put forward for the New Year Honours list is just the perfect ending to an incredible year. It’s been a big year with two golds and a silver medal at the World Championships in Japan in May, two gold medals at the Paralympics in Paris this summer, and a wedding –