The future King of England, William, Prince of Wales did not leave quietly into the night.

“I’ve lost my voice,” he said. “I can’t quite believe it — 42 years…”

Aston Villa supporters had started to filter out of the stadium even if no one wanted to move. Villa Park was still drinking in Jhon Duran’s magnificent finish, demonstrably a moment in time that gave the club, arguably, its greatest night in 42 years — following the European Cup final triumph against the same opposition in Bayern Munich, and with the same 1-0 scoreline.

“Villa till I die” bellowed. The flags, now famous memorabilia, were being joyously waved. Emiliano Martinez, having pulled off his own acts of heroism with time-stopping saves at the end, kissed the badge. The roars that grew in decibels as Duran’s lob sailed over Manuel Neuer were guttural and piercing. It was almost a disbelieving noise and a realisation that an astonishing goal had marked Villa’s astonishing rise under manager Unai Emery.

Less than two years ago, Villa were outside the Premier League relegation zone on goal difference. Now they had just beaten Bayern in a home Champions League fixture. Emery had spoken about making memories “like that great generation did in 1982” and, under his leadership, Villa continue to break new ground. The sense of occasion was marked, but Emery had long preached Villa needed to show they belonged on the biggest stage. And they did.

“The whole night was special,” Morgan Rogers told The Athletic after. “Walking out to that atmosphere, I’ve never experienced anything like it. I’ll remember this for the rest of my life.”

“It’s the loudest I’ve ever heard Villa Park,” said Martinez to TNT Sports. “It was hurting my ears at times.”

Walk down Holte Road and you will see a newly painted mural. Emery, rightly so, is at the forefront but there is reference to the 82 triumph and Peter Withe, clad in white and the goalscorer that night in Rotterdam, his hands in the air and feet off the ground. In years to come, Duran clenching both fists and roaring will be synonymous with the second Bayern victory.

Villa Park was raucous all evening, apart from the moments leading up to Duran’s goal. Supporters, perhaps subconsciously, had started to become nervous, knowing the clock was ticking and their team could earn a draw. The only other time the atmosphere lulled was when the stadium fell quiet for the Champions League anthem before kick-off as if it gave time for every fan to absorb the grandiosity of it all. Fireworks were set off and a large Tifo hung from the Holte End. A thirty-metre banner was unfurled at the bottom of the stand and read ‘All heroes are Villans’.

GO DEEPER

Understanding Aston Villa’s Jhon Duran – ‘Nothing he was given was free’

Duran has been described as “a bit nuts” by team-mates, but few doubt his immense talent. His goal, his fifth as a substitute this season, was a crystallisation of all those traits, from having the sheer conviction to lob one of modern football’s most eminent goalkeepers, to having the actual skill to pull it off. He was introduced in the 70th minute after Ollie Watkins’ running battle with Dayot Upamecano and Emery recognised that Duran’s pace, power and natural dare could serve as a point of difference.

Martinez had started off the move, with Pau Torres playing a whipped left-footed pass into the channel where Duran was on the shoulder of Upamecano.

WHAT HAVE WE JUST WITNESSED 🔥

Has Jhon Durán just delivered the moment of the night?! 😮‍💨

📺 Watch @tntsports and @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/laAj5FwErX

Advertisement

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 2, 2024

SUPER-SUB JHON DURÁN PUTS VILLA AHEAD AGAINST BAYERN FROM DISTANCE 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Dn53Tsg55Y

— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) October 2, 2024

Curiously, just as the teams came out for the second half, Villa’s individual performance coach, Antonio Rodriguez Saravia, was deep in conversation with Watkins and motioned the precise move that Duran would end up making.

Saravia tapped Watkins to get his full attention before giving an example of a curved run, from right to left, arching his body as if he was sprinting on the outside of a central defender.

Duran had little time to set himself, but went for it anyway. The Colombia striker told U.S. broadcaster CBS Sports after that he did not see Neuer off his line, a sign of his instinctive nature or recalling some of the observations made to him in the morning’s analysis sessions.

“Jhon’s been on fire,” Martinez told TNT. “He’s a super sub. With his first touch, he lobbed Neuer, one of the best keepers in history. We know Neuer plays high and we watched a lot of movies with the manager — an hour and a half this morning.”

Martinez blew kisses to Villa fans after his late heroics (Michael Steele/Getty Images)

“In the analysis, we were speaking about the positioning of Neuer — always high,” said Emery. “I spoke to my assistant coaches about how he (Duran) shoots. Because he had in his mind this possibility. He scored a goal similar last year against Hibernian. Pau Torres made a similar pass and at that moment, he drove at the keeper and shot. This time, he just shot.”

A day earlier, Bayern coach Vincent Kompany was asked about Villa’s key strengths. Kompany identified their compact defensive structure and threat on transition.

Rogers was a threat on the counter throughout (Michael Steele/Getty Images)

It was therefore peculiar that Bayern seemed happy to allow Watkins and then Duran a constant one-v-one battle against Upamecano and push so many players into high areas. Villa knew they would have limited possession but were content to stay in shape, closing the distances between the lines and, upon regains, make a couple of short, quick passes before driving into the oceans of space left on transition.

“We knew they were going to have more of the ball so it was about trying to hit them on the counter,” Rogers said to TNT. “It was about allowing them to have the ball in certain areas but when it’s in midfield we had to be at it.”

The only surprise in Villa’s lineup was Jaden Philogene coming in for his first start since rejoining this summer. Players had trained at 5pm the previous evening but most were not told the team until the afternoon of the game, with some excitedly calling family and agents. But given the magnitude of the task, Philogene, who was playing for Hull City in the Championship last season, was told early.

“I found out I was starting yesterday,” he said. “Leon Bailey got injured in training and he (Emery) pulled me into the office. He asked how I was feeling. I said, ‘Yeah, I feel fine’ and he said, ‘Good, because you’re starting tomorrow’. There were no nerves. I just wanted to play football. Unai just told me to play my game and gave me instructions.”

Villa’s analysis sessions are exhaustive and often long. They are admittedly tedious, yet the breadth of detail Emery imparts on his players requires full concentration and buy-in. Duran’s finish was an example of why players remain so enamoured of Emery — because there is continuous evidence his coaching and analysis bring success.

“There were two meetings today. We are used to it. That’s why we win games,” Rogers said. “We go through everything. We know what every player’s traits are.”

“He’s very demanding, focused and knows what he wants,” said Watkins. “You hear about professionals putting in hard work and doing extras, but it’s the same for him. He arrives early and leaves late.”

The explosion of noise that met Duran’s finish and then at the final whistle was a spine-tingling sound that will stick with Villa supporters. A night and a goal fitting of Villa’s extraordinary transformation.

(Top photo: Duran and Lucas Digne celebrate against Bayern. David Davies/PA Images via Getty Images)

The Dodgers are remaining optimistic that Freddie Freeman (sprained ankle) and Miguel Rojas (adductor tear) will be ready for Game 1 of the NLDS.

Based on Thursday’s team workout, however, Rojas seems like the much safer bet.

After missing the final four games of the regular season, during which time he got an injection to help ease the pain of an injury that bothered him throughout the final month, Rojas was a full participant in Thursday’s activities. He joined the team in base-running drills. He took grounders on the infield. And he played in the team’s intrasquad scrimmage.

“Miggy looks really good,” Friedman said. “I think the time off has really helped him.”

Rojas said he feels “kind of the same that I felt in September” but remained confident that he’ll be able to play through it during the postseason.

“Trying to do the best I can to take care of myself off the field so I can be playing in these games,” Rojas said.

Forty-eight hours out from Game 1, Freeman looked like a much bigger question mark.

The first baseman did not speak with reporters Thursday or participate in any of the team’s pre-scrimmage drills on the field. Freeman did take live at-bats in the scrimmage but appeared to still be walking gingerly.

Freeman also didn’t play in the field during the scrimmage, with Max Muncy at first base instead. Manager Dave Roberts said last week that Muncy would probably play first against the Padres (with Kiké Hernández at third base) if Freeman is unable to go.

Friedman did say that Freeman took swings in the batting cage before the scrimmage and that his ankle “has gotten progressively better” every day since he twisted it trying to beat out a grounder at first base last Thursday.

However, Friedman also acknowledged that “today will be a big test” as it pertains to Freeman’s Game 1 status.

“It’s hard because any time you talk to him about it, he’s like, ‘I’m good, I’ll be good,’” Friedman said. “But it was a real sprain.”

Even if Freeman isn’t ready for Game 1, Friedman said they will still carry the eight-time All-Star on their NLDS roster, remaining confident that Freeman — whose ankle would probably pose a bigger limitation defensively and running the bases than with his swing — will be able to make an impact in the best-of-five series.

“Again, all of this, we’ll get a better feel for as he gets out there and does things,” Friedman said. “He’s of the mind that he’ll be good, and that’s just what his mindset is.”

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The shoeys. The jokes. The tattoos. The infamous, exaggerated “Pierreee Gaslyyyyyy!!!” and Nico Hülkenberg shouts.

Daniel Ricciardo isn’t a world champion or among the Formula One all-time greats based on his results — eight wins, three pole positions and 32 podium finishes over 13 seasons. But in the sport’s modern era, the Australian driver cemented himself as a one-of-a-kind icon by wearing his heart on his sleeve. The authenticity and humanity Ricciardo brought over the years drew in fans, new and old.

The Ricciardo glimpses over six seasons of Netflix’s ‘Drive to Survive’ docuseries is the same driver media saw in the paddock. But beneath the surface is a fierce competitor. His peak came during his Red Bull days, from 2014-2018, and his last time on the podium happened in 2021 when he won the Italian Grand Prix, McLaren’s first F1 win since 2012.

“For anyone who thought I left, I never left,” he said over the team radio that day. “Just moved aside for a while.”

But he also experienced two hiatuses, one when he departed McLaren in 2022 and again in 2023 as he recovered from surgery while competing for AlphaTauri (now known as RB). His speed is evident, but Ricciardo lacked consistency in 2024. Questions arose whether Ricciardo could make a comeback to the senior team — a goal that never came to fruition.

“This year, the purpose was to try and do good enough to get back into Red Bull and fight for wins again, see if I’ve still got it,” Ricciardo said in Singapore. “I felt like I came up short with that, so I think it’s then, ‘OK, what else am I fighting for here? What else is going to give me fulfillment?’”

RB announced last week that Liam Lawson would replace Ricciardo for the remainder of the 2024 season. The seemingly awkward exit for Ricciardo led to mass criticism from fans on social media, given Ricciardo’s widespread popularity and a legacy bigger than just statistics and unique in the sport’s history.

Ricciardo’s F1 career started similarly to how it ended.

The Australian joined the grid with HRT partway through the 2011 season, replacing Narain Karthikeyan. The team hadn’t scored in the first eight races of the year and opted to hand the reins to the Red Bull Academy driver. During Ricciardo’s first season, he often was near the back of the grid; however, he often out-qualified and finished ahead of teammate Vitantonio Liuzzi, one of Red Bull’s first F1 drivers.

Red Bull promoted Ricciardo the following year to Toro Rosso, its sister team now known as RB. The Australian scored his first points in 2012 and continued to improve, finishing behind teammate Jean-Eric Vergne in 2012 but ahead in 2013. It was enough for Red Bull to call Ricciardo up to the senior team when Mark Webber left F1 at the end of the 2013 campaign.

The Red Bull chapter (from 2014-2018) became Ricciardo’s glory years. The 2014 season was the dawn of a new hybrid engine era for F1, and he thrived over the next four seasons, showing flashes of F1 world champion potential. It was easy to assume he would be Red Bull’s No. 2 to teammate Sebastian Vettel, who was a four-time world champion by that point. But while Mercedes’ duo of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg dominated, they were defeated three times in 2014 — by Ricciardo each time.

Montreal was the Australian driver’s first F1 win, passing Rosberg with two laps to go. The other wins in 2014 came in Hungary (with impressive overtakes on Hamilton and Fernando Alonso) and Belgium (remember Hamilton and Rosberg’s collision?). By season’s end, he finished third in the driver standings and 71 points ahead of Vettel.

Even though Red Bull fell to the midfield in 2015, Ricciardo managed to secure a few podium finishes. When Max Verstappen joined part-way through 2016, Ricciardo’s biggest battle became his rising teammate. When the two went wheel-to-wheel in Malaysia, Ricciardo came out victorious. As Verstappen grew, the pair battled, memorably crashing out at the 2018 Azerbaijan GP.

Come 2019, Ricciardo left Red Bull for Renault, a decision many have questioned as Red Bull became a powerhouse. The two-year stint only led to a few podium finishes before he moved to McLaren. His time with the Woking-based team, though, ended a year before his contract was set to expire (McLaren signed Oscar Piastri for 2023 instead). Red Bull swooped in to keep Ricciardo around the sport as its “third driver.”

The win at Monaco was the pinnacle of Ricciardo’s F1 peak. (Dan Istitene/Getty Images)

“I didn’t recognize the Daniel (he was) at the end of his tenure at McLaren,” Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said on the F1 Nation podcast. “I said to him, ‘Why don’t you come and join us, rediscover your passion for your sport?’” Horner added Ricciardo had “picked up some really bad habits” during his time at McLaren. “And bit by bit, working with his old engineering team, he started to find his form again.”

Ricciardo’s hunger came back. When Nyck de Vries got cut from AlphaTauri, the Australian was tapped as the replacement. Ricciardo later missed five races that season after injuring his hand, and Lawson served as the replacement, making a big impression.

GO DEEPER

How Daniel Ricciardo’s F1 hiatus prepared him to make an injury comeback

But on the senior team, Sergio Pérez struggled in late 2023. Ricciardo essentially was the Milton Keynes-based team’s safety net and publicly desired a return to Red Bull. During the 2024 campaign, Ricciardo’s form lacked consistency. However, Pérez’s struggles reemerged, which led to many wondering ahead of summer break whether a return to Red Bull would be possible for the Australian.

“I would have loved to see him use it as a springboard to get back to where he was, to have completed the story. But it wasn’t to be,” Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said on F1 Nation, after news broke of Ricciardo being replaced at RB. “Daniel’s honest about that, and he knows in his heart he gave it his best shot. He’s had a great career, he’s had a great run, but unfortunately the next chapter wasn’t to be.”

Ricciardo’s career, during its prime, was marked by being the last of the late-brakers — a fearless driver who courted dreams of contending for a world championship before they slipped away for various reasons (like Mercedes’ decade-long domination). But several of his wins featured passing masterclasses, like in China 2018 when Ricciardo famously said, “Sometimes you just have to lick the stamp and send it.”

But one of the most iconic victories was likely Monaco 2018 — yes, that photo. He nursed mechanical issues for 50 laps, and even his race engineer was surprised, saying after the Australian crossed the line, “I don’t know how you did that, Daniel.”

His final race at Singapore behind him, it’s end of an era for Ricciardo, at least on-track.

“He’s a natural entertainer and a showman,” Horner continued, “he will be for sure in front of the camera at some point and I’m sure there will be a documentary or something, that will be fascinating.”

“I’m Daniel Ricciardo, and I’m a car mechanic.”

His voice is the first you hear on the pilot episode of ‘Drive to Survive.’ He is shown as the first sit-down interview, and he didn’t disappoint, quick to joke on one of the first questions he was asked. With Mercedes and Ferrari not participating in the first season, Ricciardo stepped into the spotlight and became part of why the newest wave of fans fell in love with F1.

Ricciardo’s star turn on ‘Drive To Survive’ made him an overnight F1 superstar. (Peter Fox/Getty Images)

In a sport where the athletes spend most of their time in cars with helmets on, Netflix allowed fans to get closer to the sport’s personalities than ever before. Ricciardo brought the human element from the get-go while decked in his Red Bull gear during Season 1. As the seasons wore on, several moments throughout his career that we recounted became immortalized on Netflix. The Monaco pool belly flop. Ricciardo’s move to Renault. The emotions of the 2021 Italian GP victory with McLaren.

Leaving Red Bull for Renault saw his on-track results dip, but his popularity took off as Ricciardo’s career unfolded. He became a superstar of the Netflix docuseries, a show partially credited with F1’s popularity boom. The sport and fandom grew alongside him as critical moves in his career post-Red Bull were captured intimately on camera. When his time at McLaren was coming to an end in 2022, Netflix put together a segment reflecting on his time in F1, showing various clips from across the years.

Before the montage ran in the finale of season five, a producer said off camera, “This might be the last time you’re sat in this chair.” Ricciardo replied, “Yeah,” while the producer asked, “Thought about that?”

Ricciardo sighed.

“I mean, the show wouldn’t be the same without me, so… what do you do?”

DANIEL RICCIARDO. Forever our Honey Badger. pic.twitter.com/19Rf0P3yHs

— Netflix (@netflix) September 27, 2024

Fan edits began surfacing on social media after the Singapore GP, with posts on different platforms honoring the Australian and paired with songs like ‘Pink Skies’ by Zach Bryan (one of Ricciardo’s favorite music artists). When news broke that Lawson was replacing him, plenty of current and previous drivers, as well as multiple teams, shared their thoughts about the Australian driver.

“(Daniel), it’s been a honour to compete with you over the years. I’ll never forget the battles, the laughs, and drinking out of your shoe. It was gross, but glad I got to do it with you bud,” Hamilton posted on Instagram. “You leave a legacy of always being yourself, which in this sport is never easy. You’ve taken it all with the biggest smile and I salute you for it. There is so much more for you up ahead and I can’t wait to see what you do next. Always here for you, man.”

But Ricciardo became bigger than the sport, his popularity extending beyond the confines of the F1 world. He appeared on podcasts and talk shows, gracing the couches of Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert’s shows. He attended the Met Gala for the first time in 2023, something Hamilton has done five times. He created his merchandise line, Enchanté, and launched a wine collection. Non-F1 official sports accounts even weighed in about the late driver drop, like the Vegas Golden Knights and the NFL Australia and New Zealand account with the Buffalo Bills.

The departure is not a complete surprise, though a swap before the final six races (and three sprints) does raise eyebrows. Ricciardo’s performance lacked consistency, and the idea of a Red Bull comeback started having question marks.

It remains to be seen what Ricciardo’s next move will be. Interestingly, the word retirement has yet to be used publicly, but the sentiment seems to be there.

With F1 behind him, Ricciardo has plenty of career options ahead. (Dan Istitene – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)

“I’m proud of the career. I tried to become world champion, I tried to become the best at something in the world,” Ricciardo said in Singapore. “I think it is a tall task that we ask from ourselves. Some achieve it, some don’t. In the end, if I came up a little short, I also can’t be too hard on myself.

“Happy with the effort I put in, and for that, there’s no sadness or feeling or regret or what could have been.”

It is natural to wonder whether he’ll look at other motorsports series, like NASCAR or Supercars, to name a few. Perhaps, one day, he’ll try his hand at broadcasting like Jenson Button, Jolyon Palmer or David Coulthard. Given the fan response to his departure, many likely hope the 35-year-old will stay around the world of F1. Horner does.

“We’ve made it very clear that we want him to remain in an ambassadorial capacity with the team, and of course, one never really knows. I mean, if Liam doesn’t get the job done, if Checo doesn’t get the job done, we know what Daniel’s capability is,” Horner said on F1 Nation. “But I think for him, he knows, at the age that he’s at, he’s had a great career. So many memories.

“The most disgusting thing ever was drinking champagne out of his sweaty boot! But he made it his own, and he got some incredible people to drink the champagne from his sweaty shoe.”

GO DEEPER

Who is Daniel Ricciardo’s F1 replacement? Meet Liam Lawson, New Zealand’s latest F1 trailblazer

Top photo: Vince Mignott/MB Media via Getty Images; Design: Dan Goldfarb/The Athletic