David Beckham knows something about being sexy.

In fact, the 49-year-old professional footballer is so undeniably handsome that he was named PEOPLE’s Sexiest Man Alive in 2015and as the world waits to find out who will take home the title this year, Beckham offered some sage advice while at Stella Artois’ Let’s Do Dinner in New York.

“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?”

Although it’s a rare occurrence, you can actually be crowned Sexiest Man Alive twice – just ask Brad Pitt and George Clooney (and even Richard Geréwho first won the title of “Sexiest Couple” in 1993 alongside his then-girlfriend Cindy Crawford, before going solo at SMA in 1999).

In 2015, Beckham told PEOPLE that winning the Sexiest Man Alive title on his 30th birthday was “a huge honor.” “I’m very happy to accept,” he said.

Yet Beckham was more modest than ever, admitting at the time that “I never felt like an attractive, sexy person,” he said. “I mean, I like to wear nice clothes and nice suits and feel good, but I never think of myself that way.”

Another former Sexiest Man Alive was just as self-effacing as Beckham when asked him for his advice on this year’s winner.

“I don’t think I’m the right person to ask for this 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 The sexiest man in the world in 2021, telling PEOPLE at the time that he “was aware enough to know that when people heard that I would be chosen for this, they would say, ‘What?’ This is not false humility. There are so many people who should have this before me. »

Still, Rudd, 55, can’t wait to see which man will soon join him (and Beckham) in PEOPLE’s room of hunks.

“I’m very excited to stay away and enjoy their sexiness,” he said.

And, nine years into Beckham’s reign as Sexiest Man Alive, the father of four can’t help but reflect on how the definition of what’s sexy has evolved over time.

Never miss a story: subscribe to PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up to date with the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

“It changes. The definition of sexy? I guess that’s really what each individual thinks,” he says. “That’s what’s great about a human. They have different likes and dislikes.”

PEOPLE’s Sexiest Man Alive 2024 will be revealed on November 12.