John McGinn is Aston Villa’s captain and the heartbeat of their midfield. He grew up in Glasgow in a family with deep footballing roots and began his career at St Mirren before moving to Hibernian, where he won the Scottish Cup in 2016, ending the club’s 114-year wait for the trophy.
Villa signed him in 2018 while they were in the Championship, and he scored the winning goal in the play-off final against Derby County in 2019 to take them back to the Premier League. He has stayed with the club throughout its rise under Unai Emery, captaining the side in the Champions League.
McGinn is a tireless, combative midfielder who protects the ball with his low centre of gravity and powerful frame. He is also a regular goalscorer for Scotland, for whom he has played at Euro 2020 and Euro 2024, and his energy and humour make him one of the most popular figures at Villa Park.
Career in numbers
Since his first senior season in 2012/13, McGinn has made 571 club appearances and scored 63 goals in all competitions for 3 clubs. The 2025/26 season, with 10 goals from 44 matches for Aston Villa, remains his highest tally. His busiest campaign was 2023/24, with 53 appearances. So far in 2026/27 he has 1 goal in 8 appearances for Aston Villa. The full season-by-season record is in the Stats section of this profile.