Prince William (L) celebrates with former Aston Villa striker John Carew(Image: ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)

Former Aston Villa striker John Carew has claimed that Prince William "convinced" him to complete a move to Villa Park. Carew signed for Villa in the summer of 2007 from Ligue 1 club Lyon and went on to score 48 goals across 131 appearances for the claret and blue.

The former striker spent four-and-a-half years as a Villa player, which also included a loan spell at Stoke City during the second half of the 2010/11 season, before going on to leave B6 on a free transfer before joining West Ham.

Prince William is a big Villa supporter, and Carew has recalled a meeting with the Prince of Wales that led to the former striker complete a move to Villa Park.

"We met in Norway, during a dinner with the royal family," Carew said in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport.