David Beckham Shares His Advice For This Year's Sexiest Man Alive: 'Don't Get Carried Away!' (Exclusive)
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11/09/2024 10:00 AM
The soccer star, who was crowned SMA in 2015, caught up with PEOPLE ahead of the big 2024 reveal
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David Beckham as Sexiest Man Alive in 2015; David Beckham The Gentlemen PremiereDavid Beckham knows a thing or two about being sexy.
In fact, the soccer pro, 49, is so undeniably handsome that he was named PEOPLE's Sexiest Man Alive in 2015, and as the world awaits the news of who will take home this year's title Beckham offered some sage words of advice while at Stella Artois' Let's Do Dinner Event in New York City.
"Don't get carried away! Keep your feet on the ground because you only get it once," he tells PEOPLE with a laugh before asking, "I think you only get it once. Can you get it more than once?"
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David Beckham attends Stella Artois Let's Do Dinner on September 19, 2024 in New York CityRelated: The Sexiest Man Alive 2024 Readers' Choice Poll Results Are In: See Who Won Your Vote!
Though it's a rare occurrence, you can, actually, be crowned Sexiest Man Alive twice — just ask the likes of Brad Pitt and George Clooney (and even Richard Gere, who first scored the title of "Sexiest Couple" in 1993 alongside then-girlfriend Cindy Crawford before landing SMA solo in 1999).
Back in 2015, Beckham told PEOPLE landing the Sexiest Man crown on its 30th anniversary was "a huge honor." "I'm very pleased to accept," he said.
Still, Beckham was as modest as ever, admitting at the time that "I never feel that I'm an attractive, sexy person," he said. "I mean I like to wear nice clothes and nice suits and look and feel good, but I don't ever think of myself that way."
People
David Beckham as PEOPLE's Sexiest Man Alive in 2015Another former Sexiest Man Alive was equally as self-effacing as Beckham when asked for his tips for this year's winner.
"I think I'm the wrong guy to ask for that kind of advice!" Paul Rudd told PEOPLE at his recent All-Star Bowling Event. "But I can't wait to see who it is."
Rudd was crowned Sexiest Man Alive in 2021, telling PEOPLE at the time that he did "have an awareness enough to know that when people hear that I'd be picked for this, they would say, 'What?' This is not false humility. There are so many people that should get this before me."
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Paul Rudd attends the photocall for "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire" at Claridge's Hotel on March 21, 2024 in London, EnglandStill, Rudd, 55, is looking forward to seeing which man will soon be joining him (and Beckham) in PEOPLE's hall of handsome hunks.
"I am very excited to stand on the sidelines and just bask in their sexiness," he said.
And, nine years after Beckham's reign as Sexiest Man, the father of four can't help but ponder how the definition of what's sexy has evolved over time.
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"It does change. The definition of sexy? I suppose it's what every individual thinks, really," he says. "That's what's great about a human. They have different likes and dislikes."
PEOPLE's 2024 Sexiest Man Alive will be revealed on Nov. 12.
