Hibs hero cites 'proudest moment' at current club as rag to riches story draws to a close in exciting final
Aston Villa will face Freiburg in the Europa League final in Turkey
Hibs icon John McGinn says reaching the Europa League final has been one of the ‘proudest’ moments of his career as he seeks to make history with the English giants.
Unai Emery’s side will take on German outfit Freiburg at the Tupras Stadyumu on Wednesday night in an attempt to lift major silverware for the first time since 1996. Captain McGinn has played a key role in getting the Villans to this stage. His brace against Nottingham Forest in their 4-1 aggregate victory a fortnight ago in the semi-finals secure Villa’s place in the final.
Since leaving Easter Road for Villa Park in 2018, McGinn hasn’t always enjoyed the glitz and glamour of European football. When he first arrived, the Birmingham side were in the EFL Championship - a division the Scotland international helped them get out of after he scored the winner in the play off final against Derby County. Eight years on, the 31-year old has established himself as a fan favourite.
Hibs hero on ‘proudest’ Villa moment
Nearly a decade to the day since McGinn helped Hibernian win their first Scottish Cup in over 100 years, he is now relishing the opportunity to make history with his current side. Ahead of the Istanbul showdown, when asked if helping Villa reach the final was his proudest moment to date, he responded: "Now? I would say so, yeah.
“It has been a brilliant journey, full of ups and downs, close moments, very close to going back to the Championship. It fills me with pride as to where the club is now and it also fills me with pride as to where this club could go, like the manager has touched upon, this isn't something we want to come here, celebrate and have a fanfare, we want to be focussed on this match, we know how good Freiburg are.
“We know how difficult it is to get to a final, so we will treat them with the respect they deserve. We will only build as a club if we keep doing the same things we are doing. But if you ask me on a personal level, throughout the years I have been here, definitely this is the proudest moment as captain here."
From ‘Rotherham away’ to European final
The midfielder, who was inevitably chosen for Steve Clarke’s Scotland World Cup squad earlier in the week, has always never been short of humility and clearly cares for the club and staff around him. He went on to pay tribute to some of the behind the scenes members of the club who’ve been with him throughout his Villa journey. "Personally, I think it does because if we'd lose that match, are Aston Villa here at the moment, probably not.
"The club had just been taken over by Nassef [Sawiris] and Wes [Edens], who are still contributing now. The journey has been amazing. Each player, each staff member, each manager has played a small part in the growth of the club. This is an important moment, it's hard to believe seven years ago that we were competing in a final to get into the Premier League, but I think for us, tomorrow night, it will be nice to see the supporters there. Rotherham away, Wigan away, nights like that on a Tuesday, they're easy to stay at home but they deserve it, just as much as the players do. Hopefully, we can give them something to remember."