Meet ‘Super’ John McGinn, Scotland’s unlikely (and beloved) midfield star
Wherever Scotland goes, so goes that song:
“We’ve got McGinn! Super John McGinn! I just don’t think you understand …”
Those words have followed the blaring of bagpipes and rustling of kilts all over Boston this week, and they finally reached the pinnacle of global soccer on Saturday, ringing around Gillette Stadium at a World Cup match between Scotland and Haiti.
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And the song didn’t die down when McGinn opened the scoring in the 28th minute — Scotland’s first goal at a World Cup in 28 years — with what held as the winner in a 1-0 win over Haiti.
“A bit surreal, to be honest,” McGinn said of his goal. “I wish VAR wasn’t there because I thought Che [Adams] was offside, and it kind of curtailed my celebration — and the fact that it was a [deflection], but, when it hit the back of the net, you couldn’t see the Scotland fans in the stadium going wild. I don’t think it’s really sunk in yet, but it’s a great feeling.”
Scottish fans love their players like few other fanbases, but perhaps no Scot draws more adulation than McGinn, the squat, hard-running midfielder who gave his country it’s first World Cup win since 1990 on Saturday.
McGinn isn’t an elegant, skillful star at the heart of Scotland’s midfield. He’s best known for his unusual running style, almost crouched low to the ground — Niklas Gunnarsson, a former teammate at Hibernian, said it’s “like he’s falling down, with his head facing the floor.”
It’s not exactly how you’d describe Messi or Ronaldo, Maradona or Pele. But it’s the only way to describe the beating heart of Scotland’s midfield.
“He’s such a great character within this dressing room,” said Scotland midfielder Lewis Ferguson. “He’s one of the leaders and one of the players we look for to go and make these sort of moments. He was just saying that the other day that he was on a bit of a goal drought for Scotland, so he’s went and got that goal on this stage, so, delighted for him. What a player.”
McGinn’s connection with the Scottish fans is also driven by his personality: hard-working, self-deprecating (including about the size of his backside), always ready for a laugh, and quintessentially Scottish.
McGinn spoke out over the exorbitant costs being incurred by Scottish fans to attend the World Cup, with tickets costing hundreds (or thousands) and expensive transport to boot.
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“It’s too expensive for a lot of people to come,” he said. “I do find it sad because people live for the Scotland national team. That’s people’s life, just to watch Scotland, but it’s those guys you want to see in the stand.
“They deserve to be there as much as we do. They have put in the hard yards to earn that ticket at a reasonable price.”
It’s that sort of down-to-Earth nature that has made McGinn such a hero in Scotland, to the point where the second line of his famous song continues:
“He’s Steve Clarke’s man, he’s better than Zidane, we’ve got super John McGinn!”
Of course, McGinn isn’t better than (Zinedine) Zidane, the legendary French midfielder whose name happens to fit the rhyme. But the Scots love McGinn like he’s the best in the world.
When his goal hit the back of the net, plenty of Scottish fans were reproducing McGinn’s trademark goal celebration, cupping their fingers over their eyes like goggles.
It’s McGinn’s tribute to his nephew, Jack, who has struggled with poor eyesight. McGinn started celebrating his goals by miming those goggles a few years back, helping his nephew feel a little more confident wearing protective goggles on the soccer pitch back home in Scotland.
“That meant the world to me,” McGinn said. “I saw Jack come up on the big screen, I don’t know if that was on the [TV] back home, but I’m sure when he goes back to school, all the boys at school will be talking about him.”
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