John McGinn interview: Aston Villa's captain on his Europa League trophy dream and Unai Emery's impact
Monday, May 18, 2026
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"We can put ourselves in the history books," says John McGinn as Aston Villa prepare to face Freiburg in the UEFA Europa League final.
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No matter what happens in Aston Villa's upcoming UEFA Europa League final against Freiburg in Istanbul, the 2025/26 season is not one that the club's charismatic and inspirational captain John McGinn will forget in a hurry.
Along with helping his native Scotland qualify for the World Cup for the first time in nearly 30 years, the former St Mirren and Hibernian midfielder has played a key role in Villa reaching a first European final since 1982, culminating in him scoring with two strikes from outside the box to seal victory in the semi-final second leg against Nottingham Forest.
Sitting down with UEFA ahead of Wednesday's showpiece at Beşiktaş Park, McGinn reflects on how it feels to finally get to a final with Villa after eight seasons and more than 300 appearances in all competitions for his team.
"It means everything," he says. "It’s such a historic club. They’ve previously been used to being at the top of English football, being at the top of European football, and for years, the fans have suffered.
"I take real pride in the journey, where we’ve come from. It’s a demanding club to play for, so you need to be brave, have belief and full confidence in yourself, and I think if you have that remedy you can be a successful Villa player.
"I’ve been at clubs previously where you end a long wait for a trophy, and that feeling, and seeing the joy and emotion on everyone’s faces, is incredible."
Villa are just one step away from ending their own drought of 30 years without a trophy (last winning the English League Cup in 1996), but McGinn knows there is still a lot to do, drawing on recent European disappointments as a warning, after losing in the Conference League semi-finals to Olympiacos in 2023/24 before being defeated by Paris in the Champions League quarter-finals last season.
"We can redeem ourselves and put ourselves in the history books," he insists. "We've obviously made some changes to the squad, to the team, and there's certainly a different feeling to the squad this time.
"What we can’t do is take the final for granted. Freiburg have obviously got a great history in Germany, they've never been in this situation before, so they’ll be wanting to become legends in their own right, and they’ll give absolutely everything to beat us and we’ll need to be at our best."
One factor Villa have in their advantage is coach Unai Emery, a Europa League master who has won four out of the five finals he has been in.
"I can’t speak highly enough of what he’s done here," says McGinn. "He’s changed the belief of the place, the ambitions, almost single-handedly. His desire, work ethic, determination to succeed and the way he pushes us every single day. We’re very fortunate to have him here and hopefully, we can keep him here for as long as possible.
"Me and him have got a great relationship. He knows he can push me to the limits. He knows that he can trust me in any position that he decides. I think it’s important to have someone that's got your best interests at heart. And like he always says: the best of me is the best of him."
On the prospect of lifting silverware with Villa, McGinn concludes: "We’re so close now. It would be the same, I’m sure, if you were interviewing the Freiburg captain. We’re so close now you can almost taste the success, and feel it. But we know we’ve got a job to do.
"There’s 90 minutes – potentially 120 – to become legends of this club. We know what’s at stake. We know what we need to do, and that definitely pushes us on for more.
"It would mean everything to me, personally. There’s no one in that dressing room that wants it more than me. I’ve been through a lot here, so to get my hands on that trophy would mean absolutely everything."
This interview was conducted on 13 May 2026.