John McGinn hailed for ‘vital’ performance as Aston Villa star shines in Scotland victory
John McGinn has continued to be a vital player at Aston Villa this season.
The Villa captain has started the 2025-26 campaign on fine form despite the Birmingham outfit’s early struggles.
McGinn has even set new records at Villa this season, with the midfielder impressing under Unai Emery.
Now, this form has seemingly continued for Scotland, with the 30-year-old playing against Greece on Thursday.
John McGinn hailed for performance vs Greece
On Thursday, Scotland oversaw an important 3-1 victory over Greece in the World Cup qualifiers despite being 1-0 down.
The result keeps the Scots second in the group as they look to qualify for the summer tournament.
Here, McGinn showed once again why Villa will be glad to have kept their captain.
The midfielder started against the Greeks and played the full match as they produced a stunning comeback at Hampden Park.
- McGinn picked up his 80th cap for Scotland against Greece
- The midfielder started once again for the Scots, showcasing his ability once again
- Scotland are only behind Denmark, who are top of the group, on goal-difference
When reflecting on his performance, plenty of outlets were complimentary of his display, despite McGinn not being involved in any of the goals.
The Daily Mail on 9 October described his display as “vital” against the Greeks as he was awarded a 7.5/10.
It read: “Scotland were stuck in their own half for so long yet it would have been so much worse if not for this man.
“Got his team up the park superbly and caused problems with his deliveries. Vital.”
The Scotsman on 9 October continued this trend, stating: “This was the Aston Villa man’s 80th cap, moving him level with Craig Gordon and Darren Fletcher.
“Was one of the better players in a poor first half for Scotland. Never gave up and remains a talisman for this Scotland team,” before awarding him a 7/10.
How good was McGinn against Greece?
According to Fotmob on 10 October, McGinn had a solid game on Thursday.
The midfielder was excellent defensively, winning 100 per cent of his duels, as well as making three recoveries.
| John McGinn vs Greece | |
| Minutes | 90 |
| Passing accuracy | 73% |
| Duels won | 5 |
| Recoveries | 3 |
| Tackles | 1 |
| Passes into final third | 3 |
| Shots | 1 |
With McGinn being linked away from Aston Villa numerous times in recent months, the performance was another example of why Emery simply must keep him.
Hopefully, going forward, these exit rumours will disappear as Villa look to get back into the Champions League.
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