Despite losing their last few games, these are by no means the worst of times for Aston Villa. The new stage in the life of the club began after the change of the head coach, when Steven Gerrard came in instead of Dean Smith, who could not establish a good game. Under his guidance, the team won a number of victories. Gerrard also got Philippe Coutinho to join the club. Gerrard knew him from Liverpool and rented him from Barcelona. And they were right. Coutinho helped bring the side to an important 2-2 draw with Manchester United.
A new phase in the life of Aston Villa turned out so interesting for the fans that the club’s game against Manchester City was even attended by the heir to the British crown.
However, this should not be too surprising, as Prince William is Aston Villa’s most famous fan. And the team, in combination with the name of which his name will often be mentioned, the prince has not chosen by chance. And he chose not among the clubs, seriously and permanently “entrenched” at the top of the standings.
About why the heir to the crown chose the Birmingham club as “his” one, the prince said in an interview.
According to him, when he was still at school he saw that most of his friends were supporters of Manchester United or Chelsea, but he did not want to follow their example. Prince decided that he would support a team from the middle of the standings, performing with mixed success. Such a fan life, according to William, would be more emotionally fulfilling and allow him to experience the full range of sensations.
The prince chose Aston Villa as his support club because some of his friends supported the team. The first club match the prince attended went poorly for the team. In the 2000 FA Cup final, Aston Villa lost to Chelsea. But William was still impressed by the camaraderie and the special atmosphere of unity in the club’s supporters.
In those years Aston Villa differed from other clubs in the British Premier League by the significant weight of the British in the team. Almost the entire starting line-up was British. The club’s squad was very star-studded at the time. Gareth Southgate and Gareth Barry were members of the England squad that competed at UEFA EURO 2000. Gareth Barry holds the record for the most games played by a player in an English Premier League match. There were other notable players in the squad. But the most remarkable thing was that in the early 2000s, the only non-British players in the squad were Carbone from Italy and Boateng from the Netherlands. In comparison, Chelsea had a period when there was only one Briton in the starting line-up – team captain Dennis Wise.
In 1999, Aston Villa became the last team in the English Premier League to play a British-only squad.
At the time when Prince William became a fan of the club, the Aston Villa team was not particularly successful. The heir to the throne has therefore made it clear to everyone that he is not a glorihunter – a man who bestows his favours exclusively on those who are successful. In the history of the Aston Villa team there have been resounding defeats and sensational victories. Prince William, of course, does not attend all the club’s matches, but he is nevertheless a loyal fan. So, during a visit to Kenya with a charitable mission, he brought as a gift to children of this country kits of the favorite club. He attends some of the team’s matches together with his son, Prince George.
Support for the team by such a titled individual is unusual for the British royal family. After all, previously its representatives attended football matches only occasionally, to demonstrate unity with the people. And Prince William can be considered the first real football fan among the representatives of the British crown.