As just the second captain in Aston Villa’s history to lift a European trophy, John McGinn might well find his image cast in bronze in the Midlands one day.
Back in his hometown of Clydebank, they don’t stand on ceremony when it comes to recognising the achievements of one of their own.
Take a walk down Taylor Street and it’s impossible not to raise a smile at the striking visual appreciation of the midfielder.
A 25-foot mural bearing McGinn’s image with his customary ‘goggles’ celebration is now accompanied by the words: ‘Made in Clydebank. From Girders.’
In a working-class town, this palpable sense of pride has grown from the days when he won the League Cup with St Mirren then lifted the Scottish Cup with Hibernian.
The appreciation of him grew when he moved to Villa in 2018, guiding them into the Premier League, then the Champions League and to the point last month where he lifted the Europa League trophy into the night sky in Istanbul.
John McGinn’s iconic celebration has been celebrated with a giant mural in his home town
But it’s the 86 Scotland caps which were the real source of inspiration for the idea which took five artists 10 days and over 100 litres of paint to create.
‘I’m glad they fixed the teeth,’ said McGinn of a late touch-up. ‘It’s a bit strange, but it obviously filled me with pride to see it.
‘All my little cousins, my nieces and nephews, they’ve had a look at it. Hopefully, it can inspire young kids from Clydebank to know they’ve got one of their own on the world’s biggest stage.
‘Actually, the person’s house it’s on, I went to school with her son. He might feel a bit weird, but it’s on Jake Anderson’s house.’
First Andy Robertson, then Scott McTominay and now McGinn. From Merseyside to Hampden and Clydebank, images of the core of this celebrated Scotland side now adorn walls in places where they are revered.
A golden generation who’ve qualified for three major tournaments, their achievements are towering in more ways than one.
It took over 100 litres of paint, ten days and five artists to complete the Clydebank work of art
‘It’s been a long time since we’ve seen that with Scottish players,’ McGinn reflected. ‘It puts a smile on my face to see the excitement of children again.
‘I see it in Erskine, dropping nieces and nephews to school. A generation’s missed out, but thankfully this generation of children will see us on the side of buildings.
‘Hopefully, come August, there’s 26 of them across the country.’
Since touching down in the United States nine days ago, McGinn has often wondered how different things may have been.
Back in 2015, after a tough period with St Mirren, he travelled to Houston where Owen Coyle was manager of MLS outfit Dynamo. The midfielder was sold on the idea. It was red tape rather than a change of heart which saw the move fall through.
Part of the player will always wonder how different life might have been had he signed on the dotted line. He knows this much, though; it would not have been better.
McGinn signs a young supporter’s sticker book as he takes a break from training in Charlotte
‘It was probably a sliding doors moment,’ he recalled. ‘I have never been afraid to try something different.
‘The irony is I haven’t really moved about much in my career. But at that time, it had been a very disappointing year for me. I felt as though I needed a fresh start after everything that happened.
‘Owen Coyle and Sandy Stewart were great with me and I agreed to sign. But there was some red tape that prevented me from signing.
‘Was it a blessing? Could I have been here my whole career? I don’t know. But it was certainly a big moment in my career and it could look very different now.
‘At the time, I had made my mind up and I felt it was the right step in my career. But then I went to Hibs and that was one of the best decisions I made.
‘Everything happens for a reason in football. You just have to back yourself to give yourself the best chance to do well. And more often than not good things will happen.’
McGinn recalled how he almost moved to Houston Dynamo, then led by Owen Coyle, in 2015
At the time, promotion to the Premier League with Villa probably felt as good as it got. Yet there he was, after that thumping win over Freiburg on the banks of the Bosphorus a few weeks back, cradling one of the biggest prizes in the game.
Amid the madness, McGinn said he planned to keep a lid on things and reflect on everything which had taken him to that point.
‘I had to try and smuggle as many of my family as possible into the after-party, the ones that were sensible enough!’ he said.
‘But I soaked it all in. After St Mirren won the (League) Cup in 2013, it was the biggest lesson I’ve ever had in my life…
‘After that I decided to try and enjoy these nights because they don’t come around too often.
‘The next day I enjoyed the parade as well, but in the back of my mind I had this tournament. And when you’ve not achieved a World Cup qualification for 28 years, you don’t want to make any mistakes.’
McGinn holds aloft the Europa League trophy after victory for Aston Villa in Istanbul
This was also a nod to Germany two years ago and the delayed staging of Euro 2020. McGinn was hardly alone in failing to produce his best at those Euros, but his lack of influence in the games was conspicuous.
There are few compensations for getting older. One of them is the ability to recognise that you cannot take the same approach and expect an alternative outcome.
‘Personally, I will do certain things differently,’ said the 31-year-old ahead of the curtain coming up on the World Cup. ‘I didn’t play at my best in the last two major tournaments, alongside probably some others in the group.
‘In these games, in these tournaments, you need your big players to come up with big moments.
‘I will enjoy the excitement building up to it, but as it gets closer to the games I will focus on playing the game and not the occasion.
‘That’s what I have learned, not only at club level, but international level as well.’
There’s been a collective learning for Scotland. Garmisch, their base in Germany was fine, but it was too quiet. Charlotte in North Carolina is a city of 900,000 people. It’s big and busy enough but it’s pleasant, spotlessly clean and not in your face.
McGinn indulges in some traditional German dancing at Euro 24 in a rare Scotland highlight
The training facilities at the Atrium Health Performance Park, home of Charlotte FC, are outstanding.
‘There are no excuses,’ said McGinn. ‘We have come to a world-class facility and we have so much to help improve and make us better.’
Two years ago, he characteristically broke the pre-tournament tension by partaking in some traditional Bavarian dancing. This time around, he’ll leave the merrymaking to the supporters.
‘Do I regret that? Maybe,’ he smiled. ‘But at that point I’m not thinking we wouldn’t be successful. I had belief at that time.
‘You’re in Germany, they were looking for a volunteer and obviously this mug was number one.
‘There won’t be much dancing before the tournament. But if we manage to get through the group, I can put that outfit back on and do the dancing again.’
