Prince William reveals he uses the KIDS as part of Villa matchday rituals & how he lurks on fan forums with random name
PRINCE William has spoken of falling in love with Aston Villa after being taken to a match by friends as a boy.
The heir, 42, said he was gripped by the “sense of belonging” and the passion of his fellow football fans.
Wills also revealed he visits fan forums anonymously online — and moves his kids around when watching at home to bring the team luck.
We sat down with the heir to the throne for a chat at Villa’s training ground on the eve of their Champions League win over Club Brugge.
They now have a glamour tie with PSG in the last eight to look forward to — and their fans can maybe dream of the glory days when they lifted the European Cup.
Wills said: “Yep they won it, 1982, the year I was born. There’s a nice connection with them straight away.”
It comes as:
- Wills gave new England boss Thomas Tuchel the royal seal of approval
- He lifted the lid on his attempt at Ronaldo’s ‘Siu’ celebration & chose between pal Becks & Zidane in a hilarious Q&A
- The prince revealed how hard it was walking into the England dressing room after Euros final heartache
But how did he become a Villa fan, seeing as he had no obvious connection with the Midlands?
William, now 42, concedes it was relatively late when he got the bug but he was gripped by the camaraderie, and his interest intensified when Villa got relegated in 2016.
He said: “There were a few moments that happened. I had some family friends who took me to my first Villa game when I was younger because they are big Villa fans.
“It was against Bolton and I sat in the stands with my Villa beanie hat on and I remember Paul Merson was playing for Villa at the time.
“With the camaraderie among the fans and the chanting and the singing, I just felt like I belonged there.
“I kept an eye on Villa from then on but didn’t get too involved initially. But Villa being relegated to the Championship in 2016 got me even more interested, strangely.
“A few years earlier, we’d finished sixth under Martin O’Neill and now we weren’t even in the Premier League.
“I’m not certain why I became much more interested then but it might have been due to the rise of the smartphone.
“I’d grown up looking at Ceefax on the television or the back pages of newspapers and if you didn’t have those to hand you were a bit out of the loop.
“But now you can get so much data and follow how your team is doing all the time and there’s so much more discussion and debate. That’s how my passion really increased.
“I’m incredibly proud of the club and the journey it’s been on.
“It’s hard to put into words and a lot of Villa fans are still pinching themselves a bit that we’re here and we’ve done this.”
‘The atmosphere was electric’
William poured praise on manager Unai Emery, and said he can learn from his exceptional eye for detail and man-management skills.
He went on: “Last season was very tense and we were wondering if we’d get over the line to get in the Champions League and when we did it was a big deal.
“When I came up here to see the team, the atmosphere was electric.
“We are all so proud and pleased with what they’ve done and you can see the difference with a manager like Unai, who brings people together and works hard on the little details.
“He’s a really good man-manager with a great support staff around him and the players enjoy playing for him.
I’m kind of hoping they’ll all find their own teams in time. They don’t all have to be Villa fans. I’m trying not to be biased but obviously they see how passionate I am about it and they watch the matches with me.
Prince William
“There have been lots of good managers in Villa’s time but I’d say Unai is a step up on some of them in terms of his formations, and the length of detail he goes into with his videos.
“He spends hours debriefing the previous match to get them ready for the next one.
“He lives, eats, breathes and sleeps football and it gives you a bit of a lesson in life that if you really want to do something right, you’ve got to throw everything at it and give your time.
“Unai is that dedicated, a completely obsessed man of football and that rubs off on the players.
“If you’re doing what you love and speaking so well about how you love it then they’ll follow you. It’s quite a good leadership point.”
William has often taken son George to games but is not forcing his eldest, or siblings Charlotte and Louis, into supporting Villa.
He said: “I’m kind of hoping they’ll all find their own teams in time.
“They don’t all have to be Villa fans.
“I’m trying not to be biased but obviously they see how passionate I am about it and they watch the matches with me. I’m trying to spread the love a little bit.
“They do have Villa shirts, and ask to come to games with me, but they have other shirts as well. There’s been a bit of courting going on by other managers too.”
William also revealed his irritation over the TV blackout, which bans Premier League games from being broadcast in England at 3pm on a Saturday.
He said: “Getting up to Villa Park isn’t the easiest thing for me but I like to watch as many games as I possibly can either by being there or on TV.
“I’ve tried to really make an effort to get there for all the Champions League games because it feels like that’s something you’ve got to make the most of when you’re in it.
“The biggest thing at home is trying to find it on TV sometimes because obviously you’ve got the Saturday 3pm blackout which is irritating.”
Illegal firestick
He puts the shutters up when it is suggested he could use an illegal firestick.
He laughs: “Haha, no comment on that one. I’m a paid-up member of Villa TV though so I keep up to date through that.
“But it’s really annoying that we still can’t watch our own team’s Premier League match in this country but you can go abroad and watch any game any time.”
So when he watches Villa on TV, does he get into the matchday spirit as if he was in the ground?
I like mixing with the fans. Anything Villa I love and they all love their Villa. It’s a family within a family and I do feel part of the Villa family.
Prince William
He replied: “If I’m home alone with the children, I probably don’t have the pre-match pint but I do have a bit of superstition about where I sit when I’m watching them.
“If we’re not doing very well, I start moving round the house quite quickly and I put the children in different positions hoping that’s going to change our luck.”
William recently popped into a Birmingham Wetherspoons to join Villa fans for a beer before a game at Everton.
He said: “I like mixing with the fans. Anything Villa I love and they all love their Villa.
“It’s a family within a family and I do feel part of the Villa family. This club does an awful lot — and I know lots of clubs do it too — but I particularly feel it with Villa in my life that I’m very included.
“The morals and the vision and the general atmosphere and the culture of the club really matters.
“For me, it’s always been very welcoming, very diverse, and all-encompassing.”
He unhesitatingly names Irish stalwart defender of the 90s, Paul McGrath, as the greatest Villa player ever, while he also has a particular soft spot for Norwegian striker John Carew.
He said: “Yeah it has to be McGrath, doesn’t it? I really liked Carew as well, he was a serious all-round player.
“There’s been quite a few good ones, but they are two who I would pick out.”
He also loves to chip in with his opinions on fans’ internet forums, posting anonymously of course.
He revealed: “I like going on the forums, I can be on there for ages. I listen to what other fans have to say and give them my opinions. I get quite into it, definitely. It’s important to have that debate.”
However, he added: “Having said that, while I may be an armchair fan, I wouldn’t presume to tell Unai if he’s doing anything wrong.
“I’m fascinated by what Unai is doing and how he tweaks his system and what he sees.
“I’d love to know more about how he goes about managing the team better and how do you see those little details which no one else does.”