John McGinn has revealed the Celtic inspiration behind his Europa League success with Aston Villa.
The Villa captain described winning the competition as ‘the proudest moment of his career’, having beaten Freiburg 3-0 in what was a dominant display in Istanbul.
McGinn was close to joining Celtic back in 2018, but Hibs rejected three offers deemed lower than their valuation. That’s when the Birmingham side swooped in to secure his signature.
A boyhood Hoops fan, McGinn hasn’t been shy in admitting that he wears the number seven jersey as a nod to Henrik Larsson.
The midfielder will now have his sights set on this summer’s World Cup with Scotland, hoping to add to his 20 goals to move into the top four highest scorers ever for the nation.
Speaking after captaining Villa to European glory, McGinn touched on Celtic’s UEFA Cup run to Seville under Martin O’Neill, and how that propelled him to aim for continental success. He said (RecordSport):
“It means a lot. As a kid growing up, I can remember it wasn’t a great night for Celtic, but that night in Seville in 2003, I thought ‘wow, that’s special.’ I was lucky enough to go to the 2007 UEFA Cup final at Hampden, so to be here in 2026 as captain of Aston Villa is incredible.
“It’s the proudest moment and night of my career so far. I’m going to try and enjoy it. I like to party sometimes but tonight I’ll try and take it easy, soak it all in.”
That heartbreaking night in 2003 is one Celtic fans still remember. Martin O’Neill’s side went on a memorable run, but unfortunately came up short.
For McGinn, watching on as a boy gave him further fuel to his own footballing ambitions.
The 31-year-old’s career path is one to be admired. From coming through the ranks at St Mirren and clinching the League Cup, to then achieving a historic Scottish Cup win for Hibs in 2016, then moving down south and becoming a legend at Aston Villa.
It would’ve been great to see him pull on the green and white hoops. Perhaps it’s not too late.
