Prince William was the surprise guest at a ceremony to hand out team jerseys at the England soccer HQ on Monday evening.
Prince William is the England soccer team’s number one fan!
The Prince of Wales, 40, was a surprise guest at the team’s HQ Monday evening ahead of the 2022 men’s World Cup and helped hand out new jerseys to the 26-player squad.
“I’m really here to just kind of point out that the rest of the country’s behind you,” Prince William told the team. “We’re all rooting for you. Enjoy it.”
William, who is President of the Football Association, received an England jersey signed by the entire squad in return.
“What you and Gareth have built here is something special, that’s clear to see,” William added, in reference to the role of England coach Gareth Southgate, who steered the team to the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup.
“Play for each other, support each other, enjoy it and I’m sure you’ll go far,” he added.
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Southgate described the surprise visit of the Prince of Wales as “a nice moment to be with the group and Prince William, who has been a huge supporter of ours.”
“As staff and players, we are all so privileged to represent England and we are excited to see what’s possible together. We want to make the fans proud again.”
Prince William’s presentation began with captain Harry Kane, who he recently joined for a conversation about mental health.
He also presented the No. 17 shirt to Bukayo Saka, who was one of the players William reached out to after he and others were racially abused on social media for missing crucial penalty kicks in the final of the European Championships in 2021.
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Later, William was pictured with his arm around the shoulders of star forward Jack Grealish as they had a quiet chat. Grealish played for William’s favorite club team, Aston Villa, until he transferred to Manchester City in 2021.
The England team leaves for Qatar on Tuesday in readiness for their first match against Iran on Nov. 21. They then play the USA on Nov. 25.