Prince William in tears as his beloved Aston Villa win Europa League final | Royal | News
Prince William burst into tears as Aston Villa ended their 30-year cup drought by beating Freiburg 3-0 in the Europa League final in Istanbul.
Unai Emery guided Villa to their first European victory since the club’s famous 1982 European Cup success.
Goals from Youri Tielemans, Emi Buendia and Morgan Rogers sealed a night to remember for the Midlands club; captain John McGinn became the second Aston Villa captain to lift a major European trophy.
Post-match William
“Special thanks to Boubacar Kamara, who was injured but was an integral part of our team and helped lay the foundations for this success. UTV! VTID W”
And club captain John McGinn touched on Prince William’s support in a post-match interview with TNT Sports, saying he was just a “normal guy” and hoping they would celebrate together later, joking that he hoped the future king would “take out his credit card for a few drinks”.
Villa dominated the final at Beşiktaş Park from start to finish and defeated the Freiburg team, which was in its first European final in its history.
Morgan Rogers made history with a stellar display as he became the youngest player to score both a goal and an assist in a Europa League final.
The victory also gave Emery a record-extending fifth Europa League title and further cemented his remarkable reputation in the competition following previous successes with Sevilla and Villarreal.
While Villa fans celebrated with enthusiasm at the final whistle, lifelong supporter Prince William was among those to savor the historic victory in Istanbul.
The result crowned a stunning rise under the management of Emery, who has transformed Villa from relegation candidates into European cup winners since arriving at Villa Park in 2022.
Aston Villa had already secured Champions League football by finishing in the Premier League, but the Europa League victory marked the club’s biggest success in decades and underlined Emery’s growing legacy at Birmingham.
