Prince William Celebrates Aston Villa's Europa League Final Win

Prince William was every Aston Villa fan on Wednesday as they ended their 30-year wait for a trophy by beating Freiburg 3-0 in the Europa League final in Istanbul.

The Prince of Wales showed a range of emotions throughout the final at Besiktas Park as Villa won their first European trophy since 1982.

Captain John McGinn said Prince William was in the Villa dressing room before the match, and defender Matty Cash said he joined them for beers after the game.

"Amazing night! Huge congratulations to all the players, team, staff and everyone connected to the club! 44 years since the last taste of European silverware!" Prince William posted on social media.

"Special shout-out to Boubacar Kamara who has been out injured but is such an integral part of our team and helped lay the foundations of this success."

Cash said: "He was in there having a beer with us. He's just delighted. He's such a big supporter.

"He's always coming to the training ground, always at Villa Park. And he deserves moments like these and hopefully he can let his hair down today."

With an estimated 20,000 fans present to turn the Turkish city into 'Astonbul', Villa secured their first Europa League title with goals from Youri Tielemans, Emiliano Buendia and Morgan Rogers.

Before the match Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks shared a special message in support of Villa.

In an eight-second clip sent to BBC Radio WM, the Hollywood star and Villa fan said: "This is Tom Hanks in the United States of America, thinking one thing and one thing only - go Villa."

Victory started a party that is only just beginning, with a parade in Birmingham on Thursday.

A regular visitor to Villa Park, Prince William was spotted in the crowd celebrating as Villa beat Nottingham Forest earlier this month to secure their place in the Europa League final.

So it was only right that the prince made the trip to Turkey to witness Villa history.

Television cameras picked up on the prince soaking it all in before kick-off, before celebrating with those close by as Villa got a grip on the trophy.

The prince also made sure to capture the historic moment when McGinn hoisted the trophy high above his head.

McGinn labelled Prince William as "just a normal guy" after the win.

McGinn told TNT Sports: "He's a classy man, he was in the dressing room before the game.

"He's a massive Villa fan, he was never going to miss it. He's just a normal guy, it's great to have his support and hopefully it continues and tonight he can have a couple of drinks with us and maybe get his credit card out at the end of the night."

The prince started supporting Villa during his school days in Berkshire, choosing a team further afield as he did not want to follow the crowd.

"A long time ago at school, I got into football big time. I was looking around for clubs. All my friends at school were either Manchester United fans or Chelsea fans and I didn't want to follow the run-of-the-mill teams," he told the BBC in 2015.

"I wanted to have a team that was more mid-table that could give me more emotional rollercoaster moments."

William was born 26 days after Villa's European Cup final win against Bayern Munich on 26 May 1982.

He has spoken previously about the joy he gets from following a club with the ups and downs that Villa have experienced.

"Aston Villa's always had a great history. I have got friends of mine who support Aston Villa and one of the first FA Cup games I went to was Bolton v Aston Villa back in 2000. Sadly, Villa went on to lose to Chelsea [in the final]," he added.

"It was the atmosphere, the camaraderie and I really felt that there was something I could connect with."

Since Villa last got their hands on a European trophy in 1982, they have had to watch Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester City win continental titles.

Those Villa fans not lucky enough to have a golden ticket to the final packed out Birmingham's Utilita Arena and pubs around the Midlands.

It's a time for celebration among the Villa fans - here's what it means to them:

Nick: I listened to the final in 82 on the radio at age 12. Who would have thought 44 years later I'd be watching on telly with my two sons and my 84 year old dad (with dementia)? Special football moments x

Sharon: Lost my dad last October who was a lifetime Villa fan - he would be so proud - I'm crying with happiness at this performance- what a team.

James: My dad passed away in 2023, he was Villa through and through - I'm sat here tonight in his old shirt wishing he could see this! Best Villa team in the last 30 years!!! UTV

Jon: I remember hearing about Villa winning the League Cup when I was four and being gutted I didn't get to watch it. Thirty years later I finally get to watch them lift a trophy. Hopefully my three-year-old doesn't have to wait so long!