Super John McGinn's evolution into an Aston Villa hero

It took John McGinn merely a matter of minutes to win over the Aston Villa fans.

A thundering tackle, a raking long pass and a shot during the first five minutes of his debut against Wigan Athletic in August 2018 immediately endeared him to the Villa Park faithful.

Shortly after, McGinn landed a pin-point free-kick on the head of James Chester to give his side the lead, with the club’s fans left to wax lyrical about their new signing.

The Scotsman’s all-action performance that day set the scene for what was to come during his Villa career.

“I knew I would fit in. I knew this was the place I wanted to come,” McGinn told the club's official website upon signing.

“The one that got it for me was when I sat in the stand at Villa Park and I could picture myself playing here.

“It’s such a brilliant stadium and I know the fans are so passionate. It just felt right and I can’t wait to get my teeth into it.”

Villa beat other clubs to secure McGinn’s signature, convincing him to make the move south of the border following three years with Hibernian.

Strong individual performances kept coming amidst a tricky start to the Championship season before McGinn went viral when he scored his first goal for the club in outrageous fashion.

A looping header from a Sheffield Wednesday defender dropped on to McGinn’s left boot, with an unerring volley sent flying into the net via the crossbar. Clips of the goal have since garnered millions of views online and he was later awarded Championship Goal of the Season.

He said of the strike: “It was a really surreal feeling to see it go in.

“Obviously since then, it’s been shown around the world, so it was a nice feeling. I don’t think I’ll be able to top that.”

Upon arrival in B6, promotion had been the aim for McGinn, but things weren’t going to plan before Villa struck a rich vein of form in March 2019.

The midfielder was suspended for the first game of a club-record 10-match winning run before returning with some big contributions – a brace against Nottingham Forest and two more goals – as Villa secured a place in the play-offs.

Having been crowned Supporters’ Player of the Season and Players’ Player of the Season, McGinn capped his first campaign at the club with the winner at Wembley to get Villa promoted back to the Premier League.

His trademark desire was on show once again as he battled to get to the ball ahead of Derby County goalkeeper Kelle Roos, nodding in the decisive goal in a 2-1 win.

“To score the winner, I was delighted,” he said after the game.

“When you’re a kid and you dream, you want to score in a big game. I’ve not managed to score at Hampden Park but I have now at Wembley in a play-off final.

“It’s not really sunk in yet. We are all going to have a good night now and hopefully we can thrive in the Premier League.”

And thrive he did, taking to the top tier like a duck to water.

A goal nine minutes into his Premier League debut came as the ink dried on a new five-year contract signed two days earlier.

September strikes against Arsenal and Burnley marked McGinn out as a key component of Villa’s bid to stay in the top flight, while also earning him a Premier League Player of the Month nomination.

Head coach Dean Smith was among those to sing his praises, saying: “His levels have been right up there and he’s deservedly getting the accolades off everybody at the moment because his performances have just carried on from the Championship.

“His performances have been outstanding and it just shows that the step up can be quite easy for some people. Not just that, though, he’s also an inspiration for the other lads. His all-action style, the way he plays, the way he conducts himself, he’s a likeable guy in the dressing room – and our fans love him, too.”

An ankle injury thwarted his progress in December, and he didn’t see the field again until the Premier League season resumed in June following a three-month break enforced by the Covid-19 pandemic.

With Premier League survival on the line on the final day at West Ham, McGinn once again came to the fore in a big moment, laying on an assist for Jack Grealish as Villa narrowly stayed up.

McGinn’s fine form at the start of the 2020/21 campaign coincided with four consecutive wins, with the midfielder notching four assists and a goal in that run.

The Scotsman's influence was not only visible domestically, and his stellar displays for his country saw him captain Scotland for the first time in October 2020 before playing a key role as they qualified for Euro 2020.

There were more key milestones to come for McGinn during that campaign, including his 100^th appearance for Villa.

“It’s the first time I’ve looked at a milestone in my career and thought ‘Wow, that’s massive for me’,” McGinn reflected.

“It’s given me more hunger to keep improving and keep trying to get better, especially for Aston Villa.

“You’d be lying if you said you didn’t have ambitions of carrying on your journey and to go and play in Europe, to play in the Champions League. It’s amazing to know that the club shares the same ambition.”

A much-improved season from the team led to an 11th-placed finish before McGinn’s importance to the club was recognised when he was announced as vice-captain prior to the 2021/22 season.

Villa’s No.7 was once again one of the first names on the teamsheet for Villa, although the team had their struggles during a campaign that included a change in management mid-season.

Thirty five more appearances in the Premier League saw him bring up a century of games in the top tier on the final day at Manchester City as Villa finished 14^th.

Steven Gerrard subsequently turned to McGinn and made him captain last July.  

“I think John McGinn is universally respected,” he said at the time.

“He’s been around the club for a long time, the fans adore him, everyone around Bodymoor Heath and Villa Park has major respect for John, his peers have, he plays with consistency, he’s my type of player and they’re a few reasons I decided to go with John.”

The magnitude of the new position wasn’t lost on the player, who vowed to relish it.

McGinn said: “I want to be a successful captain on the pitch, I want to represent a team that’s competing in the top half of the table and enjoying long, successful runs in the cup competitions.

“Secondly, I want to continue being a good person. I feel as though I have been a good person around the place already, but just being there to help others, whether that’s players or staff and just lead by example on a daily basis by even doing the simplest of things well. I want to help inspire others by just being a good person.

“Thirdly, I want to be a captain who represents the fanbase. I feel as if I’ve always had a good relationship with the supporters, I feel as if I’ve always had time with the fans, but a lot of that has been done away from the cameras.”

By the end of a challenging but, in the end, successful campaign, McGinn had been true to his word.

Villa’s form under head coach Unai Emery, who arrived in October, saw the team rise from the depths of the table to secure seventh place and Europa Conference League football.

His ambition to continue being a good person was certainly evident to Emery, who helped McGinn flourish in a wider role.

“He has very good spirit every day; he’s smiling every day; he wants to train every day. As a professional, he’s amazing with his commitment and his example for other players,” Emery said.

“I like him. When I arrived here, I remember the first meeting we had in the dressing room and now he’s the same.

“I’m very happy with him and his performances have been at a high level.”

McGinn had also been actively engaging with supporters and the local community throughout the campaign, including an appearance at Aston Villa Foundation’s ‘Big Villa Sleep Out’, as he led by example.

McGinn's journey in claret and blue will continue for some time to come after he signed a new contract this week.

And after helping to take the club from the second tier to Europe, he's targeting success in the coming years. 

“If we perform like we did in the second half of the season, there’s no reason why we can’t compete for trophies," he said.

“That’s what the club needs to aim for. We need to get success back – European football is part of that but the club needs trophies. The fans crave it.

“I’m really excited to be a part of what should be a really exciting journey.”