“CLUTCHING his TNT Sports mic, Prince William casually dissected the tactics his beloved Aston Villa might employ against Paris Saint-Germain. “I think we all saw the Liverpool game and PSG’s intensity,” he told wide-eyed pundits Rio Ferdinand and Ally McCoist in a live six-minute TV masterclass. 5 Prince William speaking at Parc des Princes stadium in”, — write: www.thesun.co.uk
“I think we all saw the Liverpool game and PSG’s intensity,” he told wide-eyed pundits Rio Ferdinand and Ally McCoist in a live six-minute TV masterclass.
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Prince William speaking at Parc des Princes stadium in Paris on Wednesday nightCredit: TNT SPORTS
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Wills talking tactics with pundits Rio Ferdinand, left, and Ally McCoist before Villa’s match with Paris Saint-GermainCredit: TNT SPORTS“They gave a lot of pressure, they pressed very high. And so I think for Unai tonight, and the team, it’s about managing that press.”
For the uninitiated, the future King was warning that Villa’s manager Unai Emery needed a game plan to cope with PSG’s ploy of defending high up the pitch.
Seasoned internationals Ferdinand and McCoist nodded in agreement.
This was the house of Windsor as we’ve rarely seen it.
A monarchy shedding its stuffy image for something more modern is a PR triumph.
But make no mistake, Will’s deep love and knowledge of the people’s game is absolutely genuine.
Shortly before Wednesday’s Champions League tie kicked off, William added: “Unai likes it when teams come on to them and play quite a high press but obviously there’s a limit. Can we get around the press? Can we beat it? So I’m thinking long ball a bit.”
The punditry was fast turning into a public relations triumph as social media buzzed with approval.
Relaxed in a casual jacket, William then began analysing PSG’s new approach of targeting youngsters rather than big-name players.
He said: “I think not having Mbappe there, I think the PSG guys have talked about that quite a bit in the media, around not having the superstars maybe makes it a bit more of a gel.
“Vitinha in the midfield, I’ve been really impressed by, bearing in mind he was at Wolves two, three years ago and he could hardly get a game, and now look at him.”
For a man once known more for polo than the Premier League, it was impressive stuff.
Ex-England and Manchester United star Ferdinand told him: “Do not go for a punditry job, please, because I could be out of the game.”
Fans watching at home were equally impressed.
‘Passion we all share’One said: “Better analysis than most pundits.” Another supporter added: “He knows his stuff, defo.”
Others remarked on William’s accent which has lost the regal formality of his elders.
Times Radio presenter Andrew Neil said: “Charles and Anne speak in the same mannered, old-fashioned, upper-class way as their parents. William is much more normal.”
The Prince was also seen in the tunnel, greeting the Villa players with encouraging hugs after they had warmed up on the pitch.
It’s difficult to imagine Prince Philip or King George VI greeting Tyrone Mings with the welcome “big man!” and an endearing embrace.
William also hugged Marcus Rashford and was heard saying, “Marcus, nice to see you, I missed you earlier.”
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Welcoming Marcus Rashford, top, while wishing Aston Villa players luck before they took to the pitchCredit: ESPNOnline gossip among fans questions if William may have influenced the player joining Villa from Manchester United.
To top it off William, 42, was later seen in the stands with son George, 11, celebrating wildly when Villa went 1-0 up (they later lost 3-1).
Last month the Prince told Shaun Custis — The Sun’s Head of Sport — that he lurks on Villa fan internet forums under a random name.
And in January the Prince enjoyed a cider with eight diehard Villa fans in a Birmingham Wetherspoon pub.
Looking a little at odds in jacket and tie, he nonetheless impressed his fellow Villans.
Student Daniel Jones, 18, from Burntwood, Staffs, said the Prince was a “lovely guy, proper down-to-earth” who “loves Villa and the passion we all share”.
Unlike that other Villa fan, ex-PM David Cameron, the Prince won’t be muddling the team up with those other claret and blues, West Ham.
While William undoubtedly enjoys relieving the stresses of life cheering on the Villa, the telly punditry and the immersion in the game is also a slick PR move.
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Wills celebrating Villa’s shock lead with Prince George in standsCredit: Getty
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Prince William looking down alongside Prince George during the game, which Will’s team lost 3-1Credit: SplashThe Prince’s aides will have thought carefully before sending him out live on air with Ferdinand and McCoist.
Royals usually favour sport which involves a four-legged nag.
Although the late Queen presented the World Cup to Bobby Moore at Wembley in her white gloves — and attended a clutch of FA Cup finals — horse racing was her great love.
Prince Philip liked carriage racing, Princess Anne eventing and Prince Harry polo.
William’s promotion of football compares with his brother’s love of the equestrian sport which isn’t generally known for having players brought up on council estates.
This is what Prince Harry said on the Netflix website about his recent five-part documentary called Polo: “This series offers audiences an unprecedented, behind-the-scenes look into the passion and determination driving some of the world’s elite polo players, revealing the grit behind the glamour.”
Better analysis than most pundits.Football fan
The show was mauled by critics and questions were asked about viewing figures.
Meanwhile, William’s away days with the Villa are dragging the monarchy into the modern world.
It presents a youthful and less formal side to the Prince of Wales away from charity visits and royal tours.
Appearances at Premier and Champions League games flash around the globe at a time when the Commonwealth is being stress-tested.
When William accedes to the throne he will be head of state of — at least currently — 15 nations including Canada, Australia and Jamaica.
A 2022 tour of the Caribbean by William and Kate has gone down in history as a misjudged howler.
The poor optics included pictures of the royals shaking hands with Jamaican children through wire fences and a military parade in which the pair stood dressed in white in an open-top Land Rover.
Local campaigners saw it as a throwback to colonialism.
Seeing the future monarch and his son as down-to-earth footie fans won’t harm his global image.
Zooming on e-scooterAnd don’t bet against William turning up at the USA World Cup in 2026, a land where image is everything and the rival Sussex brand vies for attention.
The Prince will know American opinion pours into Britain via social media and the value of being well-regarded on the other side of the Atlantic.
Villa have a Wembley FA Cup semi-final this month and could reach the Champions League semis.
Broadcasters will be clamouring for Wills to take the mic to offer his words of footballing wisdom.
The Villa punditry — and other recent nods to informality — provide clues to what a King William V monarchy will look like.
On a trip last month to Estonia, William posed for dozens of pictures with well-wishers.
Living in Adelaide Cottage without a live-in nanny, he was spotted zooming around nearby Windsor castle last year on an e-scooter.
The Prince likes to arrange his formal day around the school run, and trips abroad as King are likely to be shorter and punchier.
Formality and, perhaps, some of the pomp and pageantry will be out.
There was no public investiture when he became Prince of Wales.
William will now have to delicately balance the mystique of the monarchy and its age-old rituals with shifting its image into the 21st Century.
His performance in Paris this week will have endeared him to many.
As a footie pundit might say, the boy done good.
But, as if it needed confirmation, TNT pundits Rio Ferdinand and Ally McCoist tested him out ahead of the clash between PSG and William’s team, Aston Villa, in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Wills didn’t hesitate as he assessed the importance of Villa managing PSG’s high press and analysed the improvement in the French team since the departure of superstar Kylian Mbappe.
His nod to Vitinha, PSG’s Portuguese midfielder, and his development since his days at Wolves was proper nerdy football.
But when it came to predictions, the Prince let his heart rule his head, going for a 2-1 Villa win.
Ally, however, proved he is still king of the pundits as he correctly went for 3-1 to PSG.