PRINCE WILLIAM has given new England boss Thomas Tuchel the royal seal of approval.
Tuchel, the German appointed as Gareth Southgate’s successor, names his first England squad today ahead of World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia.
The FA received criticism for choosing a foreigner rather than an Englishman.
But in an exclusive interview with SunSport, Prince William, now an FA patron after serving 18 years as president, said: “I understand the debate around having an English manager.
“But, to me, it should be the best person for the job — and Thomas is exactly the right person.
“Without doubt he is one of the top five managers in the world.
“It would be amazing if he could win the World Cup next year. It’s gearing up to that and it’s definitely possible.”
William, the heir to the throne, was appointed FA president just before the 2006 World Cup but stepped down after last summer’s agonising Euros final defeat by Spain.
He said: “I’m still linked to the FA but as a patron rather than president now. However, I loved my time as president.
“I learned an awful lot about the football world and the England set-up.
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“I was trying to do my bit to work out how to bring the best minds in so that England could win a World Cup.
“We’re now as close as we’ve ever been, I really do feel that.
[bc_video account_id=”5067014667001″ application_id=”” aspect_ratio=”16:9″ autoplay=”” caption=”Prince William on recreating Ronaldo’s goal celebration in his garden as he builds ‘Perfect Footballer'” embed=”in-page” experience_id=”” height=”100%” language_detection=”” max_height=”360px” max_width=”640px” min_width=”0px” mute=”” padding_top=”56%” picture_in_picture=”” player_id=”default” playlist_id=”” playsinline=”” sizing=”responsive” video_id=”6369984161112″ video_ids=”” width=”640px”]“The foundations are very strong, and we’ve got good leadership with Thomas having arrived.
“It’s a fantastic opportunity for us.
“The FA is in quite a stable place, which it hasn’t always been in the past.
“It’s all coming together nicely — we just need the results on the pitch to go our way.”
Elsewhere in SunSport’s exclusive interview, Prince William admitted he would injure himself trying to recreate Cristiano Ronaldo’s famous celebration in a kickaround in his back garden.
Wills, 42, had a ball while selecting attributes for his “perfect footballer” during a laughter-filled quickfire Q&A on The Beautiful Game, with The Sun.
But he was left scratching his head when faced with the ultimate football question that has divided fans across the globe: Messi or Ronaldo?
Prince William also revealed how walking into the England dressing room following the Three Lions’ defeat in the Euro 2024 was so hard.
And he revealed his superstitious match day rituals when watching his beloved Aston Villa and how he lurks on fan forums under a random name.