Aston Villa has an asset to play when they try to turn the tables on Paris Saint-Germain next week.
Standing on 6ft 3, he has the construction of a center-forward and football knowledge to compete with that of the greatest managers. The Prince of Wales cannot be part of the starting XI of Unai Emery, but he will try to be their 12th man, because Villa is looking for a performance for the ages to take them to the semi -final of the Champions League.
Prince William has good relationships with various villa players, especially Tyrone Mings, and is known that it appeals to the team before large competitions; In particular, the 2020 League Cup final, when Villa were huge underdogs, but only 2-1 were eliminated by Manchester City.
A uplifting speech for the second stage of the quarterfinals in Villa Park on Tuesday can be exactly what is needed, especially with a 3-1 villa to an accomplished PSG side after a difficult first act in Paris.
In addition to attending almost all the European luminaires of Villa this season, the prince occasionally visits the Bodymoor Heath training area of ​​the club. The heir of the throne can never just be one of the boys, but he is really popular with the team.
“We hear quite a bit from him,” Villa defender Matty Cash said after the prince had viewed the 1-0 win over Zrinjski Mostar in the Europa Conference League in October 2023. “He comes to training sessions. He speaks to us as a normal guy and we treat him that way when he comes.
'He likes to be close to the boys because he is a huge villa fan. He knows our names and our nicknames, everything. He is a real supporter who likes to come to Villa Park. Tyrone appeals to him quite a bit, I think. '
It says that everything that William turned north for a group institution against a club from Bosnia and Herzegovina in the third competition of Europe. Everyone can attend the Big Champions League matches against Bayern Munich or PSG, but much less would choose to spend their Thursday evening watching their side against a club that many supporters had never heard of.
Those who live in the audience often crave the anonymity that the rest of us considers as a matter of course and football seems to be the prince's outlet. He admitted that on Villa messages (under a pseudonym, of course), he met fans for a pint in Wetherpoons on his way to their match in Everton in January, and expresses opinions that would only have the true football nut.
Many famous people have exaggerated their fans references to be stumbled by a basic error.
This will not happen with William. In an interview with TNT Sports before the kick-off in Paris, he identified midfield player Vitinha as the most important man of PSG and remembered how he had trouble having an impact on the loan at Wolves in the 2020-21 season.
It is difficult to introduce a section about a 25-year-old Portuguese football player who plays in France that pops up in Royal Briefing Notes. That kind of detail is only known to people with a serious interest in the game.
Although he grew up with a villa supporter, the prince's interest really developed in 2016, when the club was exiled to the championship after a terrible campaign.
It took them three years to come back and when they did, Derby defeated in the play-off final of 2019, there was William who embraced former Villa Vooruit John Carew in the chic seats. It remains one of the most unlikely images of football.
Just arresting was the sight of the prince, next to his son Prince George, who hit the air like a real die-hard when Morgan Rogers Villa gave a first half a lead in the Parc des Princes. William also confessed that he lost his voice when Villa Bayern Munich defeated 1-0 – just as they did in the European Cup final of 1982 – during the opening phase of the Champions League.
William's association with Villa goes much deeper than what happens on the field, as former boss Dean Smith remembers. Smith lost his father, Ron, during the first Covid -Lockdown in 2020 and during a visit to Bodymoor in May 2021, the prince brought a moving tribute.
“He wore the club colors on that day,” Smith said at the time. “We knew he was a villa fan, but until I spoke to him, I didn't know how much a villa fan he was.
'He was very well informed about everything that happens in the club and probably wanted the photos with the players as much as we wanted a photo with him. It is great for the club to have that royal seal of approval.
“He brought a moving tribute to my father that I did not expect. I was surprised, just like my family. They saw the presentation and heard the beautiful words of him. I thanked him for them. '
Come rain or sunshine, William is Claret and Blue to the core. He can just be the inspiration that Villa needs because they are looking for their most memorable results in a generation.