Turns out even future kings lose their minds during football finals.
William, Prince of Wales was fully living the football fan experience on Wednesday night as Aston Villa F.C. ended their 30-year trophy drought by destroying SC Freiburg 3-0 in the Europa League final in Istanbul. And yes, the prince was apparently inside the dressing room drinking beer with the players afterwards. Football heritage.
Villa captain John McGinn revealed Prince William visited the squad before kickoff, while defender Matty Cash confirmed the royal celebrations continued after the match.
“He was in there having a beer with us. He’s just delighted. He’s such a big supporter,” Cash said. “He’s always coming to the training ground, always at Villa Park. And he deserves moments like these.”
Honestly, the prince looked like every emotionally unstable football fan online. One minute stressed. Next minute screaming. Then recording celebrations on his phone like somebody’s cousin during a Gor Mahia title parade.
Villa’s goals came through Youri Tielemans, Emiliano Buendía and Morgan Rogers as the English side secured their first European trophy since 1982. Around 20,000 Villa fans reportedly travelled to Istanbul, temporarily transforming the Turkish city into what fans jokingly called “Astonbul.” Meanwhile, Hollywood actor Tom Hanks also joined the celebrations by sending a short message before the game: “This is Tom Hanks in the United States of America, thinking one thing and one thing only — go Villa.”
The scenes after full-time were chaos.Birmingham erupted. Fans flooded pubs. Confetti exploded. Grown men cried. Some supporters even dedicated the victory to family members who never got to witness Villa finally lift another major trophy. Prince William’s connection with Villa actually goes way back.
Unlike most school kids who supported Manchester United or Chelsea, he deliberately chose a club that would give him “more emotional rollercoaster moments.”
Safe to say Aston Villa delivered exactly that. And after decades of suffering, near misses and internet banter, Villa fans can finally say something many younger supporters had never experienced before:Their club has actually won a European trophy.
