Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa has revealed that Prince William, a lifelong Villa supporter, once called him a 'Rolls-Royce' as the club prepares for a career-defining Europa League final against SC Freiburg in Istanbul.
The future king of England and avid Villa fan has followed the club closely since his schoolboy years, tracking their remarkable rise from Championship promotion to Champions League quarter-finalists in just six years. He will be cheering on the team on Wednesday night as they contest for European glory.
Unai Emery's side reached the final with a commanding 4-0 semi-final second-leg victory over Nottingham Forest, a match Prince William attended, celebrating each goal alongside more than 40,000 home fans at Villa Park. He was photographed cheering from a box in the Trinity Road Stand, accompanied by director of football operations Damian Vidagany and club ambassador Ahmed Elmohamady.
After the win, Emery confirmed that William joined the post-match celebrations, saying: 'He was in the dressing room with the players and with me, and of course, he is so happy as well.'
Ahead of the final, Konsa spoke about William's passion for Villa and revealed his standout moment of praise.
'It's weird because on game day, when he comes in, you focus on the game and you're in the moment, and you don't realise how big it is that he is coming in to greet everyone and shake his hand,' Konsa admitted. 'Sometimes you get caught up in the moment, and you go home and think, flippin' hell, I just shook his hand, and he knows my name and everything. Having his support is brilliant, not just for the club but for the players as well.'
'Some of the players didn't know who he was beforehand, as they are from different countries, so for them to learn about him and know who he is, it is big. Hopefully he will be there on Wednesday.'
'Ever since I joined, he has shown unreal support, coming into the changing room and showing us the utmost respect. Massive credit to him to come and watch us and support us.'
'I don't know much about his football knowledge, but he has called me a Rolls-Royce once though! I'll take that. That got stuck in my head. It's nice. Credit to him.'
Villa secured UEFA Champions League qualification on Friday night after a 4-2 win over Liverpool, allowing them to focus fully on their pursuit of silverware against SC Freiburg. Next season will mark the second time in three years that Villa have competed in UEFA's elite club competition, and their fourth European campaign under manager Emery.
'We are not part of the so-called big six, so nobody really speaks about us, and that's fine. We don't care. We don't listen to that noise, and we just do what we have to do,' Konsa said.
'Massive credit to the boss and his staff for what we have achieved in the last few years. Now we want to do something that the club has never done before. Massive credit to him and his staff, and also the players.'
'We haven't changed much or added much; the core of the team has stayed really strong. We have togetherness, and we showed that against Liverpool - how good we can be if we are on it and stay consistent. Who knows what will happen in the summer, but for now we are enjoying the moment and focusing on the next game.'
'The last three seasons it has been difficult; we haven't added much - maybe two or three players. Look, whatever is going on with Villa and the rules has nothing to do with us players. We have to focus on what we need to do on the pitch. You guys can see that on the pitch - what we are doing has been incredible, and hopefully we can finish off the season with some silverware.'
Konsa is set to start for Villa on Wednesday night, and will be hoping to do enough to play from the off in Thomas Tuchel's England side at the World Cup too.
'There's a lot to play for in the next few months. We will take it game by game, and Wednesday is my next focus,' he continued. 'Once the season is finished, I will then focus on the World Cup. Every player wants to win the competition. It will be a difficult couple of months, but it's something I am looking forward to very much.'
