Hibs hero tackles international retirement talk as Aston Villa ace shelves tired thoughts for one clear goal
The Hibs 2016 Scottish Cup-winning icon still has ambitions at International level
As Scotland’s World Cup qualification journey gets underway, a former Hibs star has said reaching the competition would ‘eclipse’ all his previous footballing achievements.
As Steve Clarke and his team prepare for their second World Cup qualifier, fan favourite John McGinn has been talking retirement plans. Scotland will face Belarus at the ZTE Arena on Monday night, after they earned what could be a valuable point against Denmark.
The Scots haven’t featured at a World Cup for 27 years, meaning if the current squad were able to qualify, they would instantly go down in history. McGinn says he can’t even remember France 98’ which would make it all the more special if this team were successful. Despite being the wrong side of 30, the Aston Villa midfielder doesn’t plan on hanging up his Scotland boots just yet.
McGinn to finish for Scotland ‘when the manager decides’
‘Super’ John McGinn is set to make his 79th appearance in a Scotland jersey against Belarus after making his debut nearly a decade ago. In his usual bullish, tenacious style, he was winning fouls for the Scots left, right and centre, relieving some of the pressure off the defence.
McGinn has been asked whether he’d ever take the same route as Celtic captain, Callum McGregor and stop playing for his country but immediately declined. He said: “I understand why boys do it. There's probably a few performances in the last couple of years where I should probably have gone, ‘I’m knackered, give yourself a break!’ But it took me a few years to get into the national team and what a privilege it is every time you come away.
“You hear the anthem, you see your family proud as punch in the stand and for me personally, I'll stop playing for Scotland when the manager decides I'm not good enough, I'm not helping the squad and I'm not helping around the place. So, hopefully that’s for many years to come. It's certainly not something that's in the back of my head now or even in the near future. In saying that, I understand why people do it a lot more now than probably what I did before when I was younger. So, hopefully you'll see my face for another few years.”
World Cup Qualification would ‘eclipse’ all career achievements
“I saw Robbo saying he remembers France 98 but I don’t think I do. I remember my dad and my Granda speaking about it. So for us to be involved in a World Cup would be 100 per cent a career highlight. Representing your country at a World Cup would eclipse everything that I’ve managed to achieve in the game.
“I used to see my team-mates going (to the World Cup) when I was on holiday. Next year, we’ve got the opportunity to be there. Every time myself and the boys stand in the tunnel before a game, we need to remind ourselves of that. We need to realise what we can achieve. We know what’s at stake and we know how to do it. It’s important we get three points on Monday to give ourselves the best possible chance.”