The Prince of Wales led the celebrations after Aston Villa secured a place in the Champions League for the first time following Manchester City’s victory over Tottenham Hotspur.
City win 2-0 it means Spurs can no longer catch Unai Emery’s side in fourth place in the Premier League – the final Champions League qualifying spot.
Tuesday night’s game was shown during Aston Villa’s end-of-season awards dinner. There were wild celebrations when Erling Haaland scored City’s goal from the penalty spot, with Emilo Martinez, Villa’s colorful Argentinian goalkeeper, setting the tone for the evening as he showered guests and teammates with champagne.
And the club’s royal fan, Prince William, who adopted Aston Villa as his football team when he was a boy at Eton because he wanted a team “that could give him the emotional rollercoaster” of a mid-table team, was quick to pass Congratulations to Emery and his players.
The Prince sent a message on the X of the Kensington Royal account, saying “We are the Champions League! A historic season and an incredible achievement. Thanks to Unai, the entire cast and everyone at @AVFCOfficial. I can’t wait for the next season. #UTV!”
The party will continue into the night in Birmingham with the Champions League theme playing at the awards party and the normally reserved Emery also joining in on the celebrations with gusto.
Villa did not qualify for the Champions League in its current format, but were European champions in 1981.
It is a remarkable feat given the team were in a relegation battle when Emery took over as manager in October 2022 and there is a strong case for the Spaniard to be named coach of the year.
This fight looks like a penalty shootout between Emery and Pep Guardiola, whose City team are on the verge of becoming the first team to be crowned English champions four years in a row.
