Aston Villa and England star reveals super fan Prince William calls him a 'Rolls-Royce'

Being told you are the footballing equivalent of a “Rolls-Royce” must be nice at any time.

When the person telling you is the future king, it’s definitely the kind of thing which is going to stick in the mind.

That is certainly the case for Ezri Konsa.

“I’ll definitely take that! It was very nice of him,” smiles the defender, recalling the time the compliment was delivered during one of Prince William’s many visits to Villa’s Bodymoor Heath training ground.

Of the 10,000-plus supporters heading to Istanbul for Wednesday’s Europa League final, His Royal Highness will be comfortably the most famous, his love of all things Villa having long been established.

William attended the semi-final second leg against Nottingham Forest earlier this month, speaking to the players before the match and then joining in with the dressing room celebrations, following the 4-0 victory which sent the club to just their second major European final.

His presence at Villa Park was hardly a rare occurrence, yet even for Konsa, the club’s third longest-serving current player, being on first name terms with the heir to the throne still feels rather surreal.

“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 their hand,” he says.

“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.

“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.”

As his comments on Konsa are anything to go by, the prince certainly knows his stuff.

One of the club’s most dependable performers of recent seasons, there are few fans who would disagree with William’s analysis of the 28-year-old.

Neither does England boss Thomas Tuchel. Konsa is currently preparing for the biggest two months of his career, first targeting glory with Villa in Europe and then with the Three Lions at the World Cup.

A £12million signing from Brentford in the first summer following promotion 2019, Wednesday night will be Konsa’s 286th appearance in claret and blue and there are few other players who can quite appreciate the club’s journey, from the Great Escape from relegation in his first Premier League season, through to the remarkable rise under Emery.

“It’s been a crazy ride, working under three different managers,” he says. “I love this, and it holds a very special place in my heart.

“The fans have been brilliant with me, and I want to give them something back, and hopefully we can do that on Wednesday.

“It would mean everything. Personally, I have been here for a long time.

“There have been some ups and downs, from surviving on the last day to now playing in a European final. It’s something I can’t really describe. I want to win the trophy on Wednesday for me and the fans.”

While the significance of the match is not lost on Konsa, Villa at least head out to Turkey to face German club Freiburg with the bonus of having already secured their primary aim for the season of Champions League qualification.

Last Friday’s 4-2 home win over Liverpool guaranteed a top-five Premier League place, with Emery’s men having finished in the top-six in three successive seasons.

Despite that, there is still a sense their achievements are overlooked, with Emery was a surprise omission from the shortlist for Premier League manager of the year.

Konsa agrees with team-mate Matty Cash, who reckons Villa are worthy of more credit.

But he added: “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.

“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 not done for a long time.

“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.”

Villa’s success this season has been achieved despite a difficult transfer window last summer, brought about by the club needing to comply with Uefa’s financial rules.

Another tricky window is expected this year despite the Champions League return but Konsa said: “Who knows what will happen, for now we are enjoying the moment and focusing on the next game.

“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.”