‘It’s about trying to become legends’ Aston Villa captain John McGinn on what winning the Europa League would mean to Aston Villa

Aston Villa captain John McGinn states how he and his teammates must embrace the opportunity to become legends in the Europa League final.

After scoring two goals inside three minutes John McGinn helped to guide Aston Villa to a 4-0 victory over Nottingham Forest as they secure their place in the Europa League final against Freiburg in Istanbul later this month.

The Scotsman has been a key figure in the recent history of the club and has been a driving force on the rise of Aston Villa with going from the Championship to the Champions League over the last few years.  This Europa League final will be the first time that Villa have competed in a European final since 1982 where they won the European Cup against German giants Bayern Munich in a 1-0 victory in Rotterdam.

Speaking to TNT Sports after the game the Aston Villa captain said: “It’s a demanding club to play for, but when it’s like this, Villa Park is electric. There’s no better place to play your football every second week or European football.

“What we have done in the last few weeks has been exceptional. The margins are so slim – if we lose tonight, then we are the nearly men. When we go to Istanbul in 10 days, we need to make sure that we are not the nearly men.

“It’s about embracing it and trying to become legends,

“You see the guys from 1982, you see the cup winners in the 90s. It’s a historic club, and it’s been a long time without success.”