Unai Emery has revealed that Prince William joined Aston Villa's players in the dressing room to celebrate their dramatic Europa League semi-final victory—a night that will go down in the club's history.
Trailing 1-0 from the first leg, Villa roared back in style at Villa Park. Ollie Watkins ignited the comeback, Emiliano Buendia added to the momentum, and captain John McGinn netted a brilliant brace to turn the tie completely on its head.
"We spoke to Prince William," Emery said with a smile. "Yes, yes, yes. He was in the dressing room with the players and with me. And of course, he's so happy as well."
The win marks a massive milestone for Villa, but Emery is already shifting focus. Currently sitting fifth in the Premier League, his side stumbled in their last league outing at home to Tottenham. The Spanish boss insists that while the final is a dream, the job is far from over.
"We need the Premier League," Emery emphasized. "We are not being consistent in the league recently. Overall, we have been so consistent across 35 matches, but not in the last few. Now, I want to focus on Sunday's match and fight for that Champions League position. Hopefully, we can secure that and then play the final."
This victory carries extra weight for Emery, who has felt the sting of recent semi-final defeats. Villa lost to Olympiacos in the Conference League semi-final in 2024 and fell to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup semi-final in 2025—both times playing the second leg away from home. This time, everything was different.
"We played the semi-final two years ago against Olympiacos, but the second leg was away. Last year, in the quarter-final, we played the second leg at home—but that was a quarter-final. And the FA Cup semi-final was in London," Emery explained.
"To play a match like this, with the second leg here at Villa Park after the first leg in Nottingham, with the chance to reach a final—it was the only moment we've had like this at home. We were so motivated. We were excited. We were confident in how our supporters would be here. And they created an atmosphere that lifted us all."