John McGinn admitted Aston Villa’s Europa League success brought back memories of Celtic’s heartbreaking defeat in Seville after leading the English side to glory in Istanbul.
The Scotland captain lifted the trophy after Villa swept aside Freiburg 3-0, with goals from Youri Tielemans, Emiliano Buendia and Morgan Rogers sealing a memorable European triumph.
For the former St Mirren and Hibernian midfielder, the occasion marked the greatest achievement of his career to date — and he reflected on how Celtic’s UEFA Cup Final defeat to Porto in 2003 first showed him the emotional impact of a European final.
McGinn said via The National: “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.
“For me, being 31, my first European final, I watched my mates win trophies, Andy Robertson and Jack Grealish, so it’s my turn. Maybe not the big one they’ve won, but, to me, it’s so, so special. I’ll cherish every minute.”
McGinn also joked that Villa supporter Prince William should help fund the post-match celebrations after visiting the squad before kick-off.
He added: “Hopefully Prince William is paying for the free bar. He was in dressing room before the game. He is a massive Aston Villa fan, he was never going to miss it.
“He’s just a normal guy, it’s great to have his support. Hopefully he can have a couple of drinks with us and maybe get his credit card out!”
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