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Prince William confessed he found the whole experience “slightly surreal” after watching his beloved Aston Villa finally end their lengthy trophy drought.
The Prince of Wales has long been a devoted Villa supporter and was present in Istanbul as they dominated German side Freiburg 3-0 to claim the UEFA Europa League title.
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It marks the first silverware Villa have secured since 1996 and their maiden European trophy since lifting the European Cup in 1982 — a month before he was born, as per The Mirror.
William told the Claret & Blue podcast’s Mat Kendrick the evening felt ‘slightly surreal’ -Credit:Reach PLC
The future king was moved to tears of joy as Villa dismantled their opponents with first-half strikes from Youri Tielemans and Emi Buendia, before Morgan Rogers put the finishing touch on their continental glory after the interval.
As Villa’s players and supporters savored their victory, Prince William summoned the hosts of Reach PLC’s dedicated Villa podcast Claret and Blue to his executive box at the Tupras Stadium.
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Mat Kendrick and Dan Rollinson duly accepted the invitation and sat down with the royal, who revealed he never misses an episode to get his Villa fix, stating: “Where do you think I get my information from!”
Mat asked William how he felt after the final whistle: “Good, unbelievable…it’s slightly surreal.” When pressed on why he chose to stay in the box rather than join the on-pitch celebrations, he added: “I was tempted to go down there but thought, ‘Let everyone else have their moment.’ This is about the players, the fans.”
Prince William has frequently been spotted riding an emotional rollercoaster while following Villa, but this occasion proved far more straightforward as Unai Emery’s squad cruised to a comfortable win.
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He added: “I was expecting a rollercoaster, but it’s actually gone quite smoothly hasn’t it? I was more nervous before the Nottingham Forest second leg…I felt more comfortable today.
“We sat here with Elmo [Ahmed Elmohamady] and he knew already before Youri had hit the ball that it was going in the net, he was already celebrating. I said, ‘How did you know it was going in?’ He said, ‘I’ve seen it in training.'”
It proved to be an unforgettable evening for William and the thousands of Villa supporters who had made the journey from the second city. He also praised the tremendous atmosphere throughout the match and the mutual respect shown between the triumphant Villa faithful and their defeated counterparts.
“What I loved also, the Freiburg fans sat the whole way through and supported us and we clapped for them and gave them a guard of honour. It was proper good sportsmanship, it’s always been a thing about the club, we’ve done it properly.”
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Villa’s elated players subsequently welcomed him into the dressing room, where he celebrated with a few beers, before joining their families at an afterparty that stretched well into the Istanbul night.
