Prince William made a surprise appearance as a guest pundit on TNT Sports this week, earning rave reviews from fans after displaying impressive soccer knowledge during a pre-match segment alongside former England defender Rio Ferdinand.
The Prince of Wales, a lifelong Aston Villa supporter, joined the broadcast ahead of one of the biggest matches in the club’s modern history — a UEFA Champions League quarterfinal clash against French giants Paris Saint-Germain.
Answering questions on what to expect from the match, Prince William broke down Villa’s tactics and gave detailed explanations of how Villa's approach this season directed by manager Unai Emery might match against a PSG side that consistently presses their opponents.
Prince William's amazing pundit analysis on Aston Villa-PSG in the UEFA Champions League
"We all saw the [round of 16 match between Paris and Liverpool] and PSG's intensity, in the first leg they were unbelieavle, they gave a lot of pressure, they pressed very high. So, I think for Unai tonight it's about managing that press, Unai likes it when teams come onto him, play quite high press, but obviously there's a limit..." he stated.
Take a bow, Prince. His analysis didn’t go unnoticed by viewers, however, with fans lighting up social media with reactions pleading for the prince to take a pundit job.
“That was a good analysis from the prince,” wrote one fan. Another joked, “Sack the rest, ask [Prince William] to do the show,” while a third chimed in, “Superb, make him king [as soon as possible].”
The match itself was an emotional rollercoaster. Aston Villa stunned the crowd at the Parc des Princes by opening the scoring through Morgan Rogers, sparking wild celebrations from Prince William and his son, Prince George, who were seen beaming with joy in the stands.
But the dream start didn’t last long, as PSG responded with three goals to secure a 3-1 victory heading into the second leg.
With a two-goal mountain to climb at Villa Park next week, Villa face an uphill battle against one of Europe’s elite sides. Yet, for supporters who have waited decades to see their team on this stage, the return leg promises to be a night to remember — and Prince William will surely be in the stands once again.
