David Beckham Is People’s New Sexiest Man Alive

Thirty years after People deemed then-29-year-old Mel Gibson its very first Sexiest Man Alive recipient, a 40-year-old soccer legend has scored the title.

David Beckham, who retired from professional soccer in 2013 after spending nearly 20 years on the field, is officially People's 2015 pick, the magazine announced Tuesday night (November 17). And, in keeping with the distinction's apparent tradition, the empirically good-looking human being feigned humility.

"I never feel that I'm an attractive, sexy person," he said to a likely collection of eye-rolls. "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."

The athlete is preceded by Chris Hemworth, who was named Sexiest Man Alive by the magazine in 2014. "I think you’ve bought me a couple of weeks of bragging rights around the house," he offered last year. Read Hemsworth's hilarious response to Jessica Chastain's comments on his recent dethroning below.