Prince William also joined in the celebrations in the Aston Villa dressing room. (Image: GETTY)
Prince William was delighted to be part of the celebrations at Aston Villa, with the future king reportedly enjoying a beer with the team during the dressing room celebrations after their Europa League glory. The Prince of Wales is a keen Villa supporter and attends some of Villa’s most important matches. He stayed in Istanbul for his final victory, where he defeated German opponents Freiburg to win his first major honor since 1996.
They also recorded their first European success since 1982, with first-half goals from Youri Tielemans and Emi Buendia establishing their foundation. Morgan Rogers provided the final touch after the break, with William looking visibly moved in the stands. He was welcomed to the post-game celebrations and Matty Cash admitted he shared a beer with the players in the changing room. “He deserves moments like this and hopefully he can let his hair down,” the full-back said.
The prince was then photographed holding the glittering trophy with manager Unai Emery, who won his fifth Europa League title, and Villa manager Damian Bidagany.
McGinn revealed William was immediately interacting with the players before kick-off. The Scotland international praised his down-to-earth nature and joked that he would be welcome to join in the celebrations once he cleared the money.
McGinn told TNT Sports: “He’s a classy guy and he was in the dressing room before the game. He’s a big Villa fan so he wasn’t going to miss it. It’s great to have the support. He’s just a normal guy.”
The Villa star confessed that he had hoped the royal family would celebrate with him, saying: “Hopefully he can have a few drinks with us and give us a credit card at the end of the night.”
Prince William, who has previously taken his son to games and posed for some memorable photos, praised Villa’s achievements and also acknowledged one of their key absentees.
He wrote on social media: “What a great night!! Huge congratulations to the players, team, staff and everyone involved at the club! 44 years since we last tasted European silverware!
“A special shout out to Boubacar Camara, who is out with an injury, but has been an integral part of our team and has helped lay the foundations for this success… UTV (Up the Villa), VTID (Villa Until Death).”
Victor Lindelof’s wife posted a photo of William at the afterparty with the caption “Derailed” (Image: Instagram/majanilssonlindelof)
Celebrations continued after the final whistle, with Villa defender Victor Lindelof’s wife sharing a photo of William enjoying the celebrations with his team’s family and friends.
Maya Lindelof posted the photo on her social media story with a caption that means “derailed.”
Meanwhile, Tyrone Mings was on the DJ deck at a nightclub until the early hours of the morning, and Amadou Onana shared footage of the moment.
Villa’s impressive performance had already guaranteed them a return to the Champions League before their victory in the Europa League final.
On the final day of the Premier League season, Unai Emery will continue his impressive form in the Midlands, further cementing his reputation in Europe’s secondary competitions and helping his team secure fourth place.
“For every success in this tournament, we needed good players. I am very grateful to the players now. They are following our ambitions,” he said.
“They’re the stars of the field. This is why I don’t feel like I’m the king in this competition. I’m really grateful. We’re the king together.”
“After the club won the European Cup in 1982, what they lacked was supporters, a trophy. I’m very happy to have achieved this, but I’m not going to quit.”
Villa’s official ticket allocation was 10,758 tickets, but 20,000 supporters traveled to Turkey and packed into bars and cafes around Istanbul’s famous Taksim Square, where the festivities lasted until the early hours of the morning.
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