In a shocking twist, People magazine did not choose a movie star for its annual Sexiest Man Alive cover, which was revealed on Tuesday night. Instead, for the first time ever, the magazine went with a professional athlete: British soccer superstar David Beckham.

Beckham won the honor because … okay, honestly? Besides the fact that he’s known as one of the more attractive people on the planet, we have no idea. Sexiest Man Alive is about more than looks! Generally, the magazine chooses someone who just had a big year, or needs some image repair, or has upcoming projects to promote. Beckham, 40, retired from soccer a couple years ago. These days he makes headlines when he plays in a UNICEF charity match with his kids.

Fittingly, People only focuses on Beckham’s family for its cover, as the headline reads “He’s a romantic husband, a devoted dad — and he vacuums!” It goes without saying that his wife is pop star/fashion icon Victoria Beckham. Even the preview of People’s cover story simply notes that he’s a proud father to three sons (Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz) and a four-year-old daughter, Harper. Then there are the usual quotes about how he is surprised that he’s considered sexy. That’s it.

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Beckham didn’t even have anything to plug when he appeared briefly via video on “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” as the late-night host announced the honor for the third year in the row.

“It’s the best moment of my career — I can’t believe it,” Beckham said, with the required embarrassed grin. “I would obviously like to thank my parents for bringing me into this world, of course.”

Still, as the New York Times wrote when Beckham announced his retirement in 2013, “Beckham was not merely an athlete; he was an international brand that smartly fused a handsomeness that bordered on beauty with athleticism, marketing savvy and an eager embrace of the role of pop idol.” For Sexiest Man Alive, maybe that’s all it takes.

Here’s every winner since People started awarding the prize:

1985: Mel Gibson

1986: Mark Harmon

1987: Harry Hamlin

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1988: John F. Kennedy Jr.

1989: Sean Connery

1990: Tom Cruise

1991: Patrick Swayze

1992: Nick Nolte

1993: Richard Gere and Cindy Crawford (sexiest couple)

1994: No one — possibly a lack of sexiness that year.

1995: Brad Pitt

1996: Denzel Washington

1997: George Clooney

1998: Harrison Ford

1999: Richard Gere (again)

2000: Brad Pitt (again)

2001: Pierce Brosnan

2002: Ben Affleck

2003: Johnny Depp

2004: Jude Law

2005: Matthew McConaughey

2006: George Clooney (again)

2007: Matt Damon

2008: Hugh Jackman

2009: Johnny Depp (again)

2010: Ryan Reynolds

2011: Bradley Cooper

2012: Channing Tatum

2013: Adam Levine

2014: Chris Hemsworth

Read more:

Matt Damon? The Rock? Chris Pratt? Some guesses for Sexiest Man Alive.

Chris Hemsworth is People’s 2014 Sexiest Man Alive

Why it’s significant that Sandra Bullock is People’s oldest ‘most beautiful’ woman

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