John McGinn

John McGinn is a Scottish central midfielder Born on 18 October 1994, who captains both Aston Villa and the Scotland national team. He joined Aston Villa from Hibernian in 2018 and has since surpassed 300 appearances for the club, becoming one of the Premier League's most consistent midfielders. McGinn captained Villa to the UEFA Europa League title in 2025-26, becoming the first Scot to lift that trophy since Gary McAllister won it with Liverpool in 2001. He has earned more than 80 caps for Scotland with over 20 international goals.

McGinn scored a deflected strike in the 28th minute of Scotland's 1-0 win over Haiti on 13 June 2026, the goal coming moments after goalkeeper Johny Placide had parried a Che Adams effort. The victory was Scotland's first at a World Cup since their 2-1 win over Sweden in Italia 90, a gap of 36 years. Scotland are appearing at their first World Cup since France 1998.

McGinn's role in the tournament extends beyond goalscoring: as captain he is the on-pitch leader for a Scotland side that qualified after a lengthy absence and carries the weight of expectation from a nation that watched the golden generation of 1978 and 1982 exit without a win. A Europa League winner just weeks before the tournament, he enters the group stage as arguably the most decorated player in the Scotland squad.