Prince William shows off his football skills during adorable moment with children on pitch

The Prince of Wales cheered as he showcased his football skills during a training session with children at the Maracana Stadium in Brazil. Prince William participated in some football drills as he chatted to local children, aged 8-12, who are part of Terra FC (Earth FC), a campaign that aims to mobilise millions of football fans in Brazil around the climate cause, encouraging the engagement of clubs, fans, and governments in the fight against climate change.

The heir was seen shaking hands, chatting and laughing with the youngsters as he engaged in the activity. He visited the Maracana Stadium to meet leaders and local young people who run and participate in local football programmes across the city and the state.

The programmes, attended by young people from across the city's favelas - settlements - create safe, inclusive spaces where young people can build resilience, connect socially, and access mental health resources.

On the pitch, William met the CEO of the Maracana Stadium, Severiano Braga, Luiz Eduardo from Flamengo Football Club and then Vice President of Fluminense Football Club, Mattheus Montenegro.

While arriving at the Stadium, William was met by football legend Cafu, who gave him a signed shirt with his name on it as they gazed at the pitch.

An avid football fan, William told Cafu: "It's an honour. We've all seen how your feet work."

He also told him that he is a "football fan" but "not an athlete," asking whether the footballer has heard of his favourite club, Aston Villa.

When the future king first arrived pitch-side, he met a group of volunteers from the project using football to connect with young people, and asked them: "My team's Aston Villa, have you heard of them - you don't have to say yes."

William is a big fan of the Premier League club and reacted with surprise when one of the group said they had.

The prince and the former defender, both wearing trainers and casually dressed, played against each other in a three-a-side match, testing the skills of the schoolboys from across Rio.

Cafu led his side to a 3-2 victory over William and his teammates, but the prince quickly moved on to join a training session with a group of young girls holding cups of water as they dribbled, in a bid to improve their balance by not spilling the liquid.

William ended his football drills by taking a penalty against keeper Pedro Enrique, 14, and was mobbed by youngsters wanting a high-five after he scored.

Later, they headed inside, where they met 75 Generation Earthshot leaders (aged 18-30) and 17 Mini COPs (aged 11-16) to focus on leadership across generations.

William joined various discussions with four groups of Generation Earthshot leaders from Brazil, South Africa, Singapore and Mini COPs. Mini COP is a programme aimed at children aged 11 to 17 running in parallel to Generation Earthshot.