John McGinn has become Aston Villa’s outright record goalscorer in major European competition after finding the net against Club Brugge in the Champions League.
The Villa captain opened the scoring after 11 minutes in Belgium, converting Pau Torres’ pass to put Unai Emery’s side ahead on their way to a 3-2 victory.
It was McGinn’s 12th major European goal for Aston Villa, taking him clear of former team-mate Ollie Watkins.
The pair had previously been level on 11 after McGinn’s two goals against Nottingham Forest helped send Villa into last season’s Europa League final. Contemporary reports following that semi-final confirmed Watkins and McGinn were joint-top of Villa’s European scoring charts at that stage.
Now the record belongs to McGinn alone.
John McGinn moves clear of Ollie Watkins
Watkins had made history only months earlier.
His goal against Bologna in April made him the first Aston Villa player to score 10 times in major European competition, according to the club’s official match report.
McGinn subsequently drew level during Villa’s run to Europa League glory before moving ahead in Bruges.
His latest goal was significant beyond the record.
Villa arrived in Belgium without having scored in their opening three Premier League matches, but McGinn needed only 11 minutes to end that drought.
Torres stepped forward before finding the Scotland international, whose controlled first-time effort beat Yann Sommer and found the far corner.
Emi Buendía and Nicolas Jackson then added further first-half goals as Villa established a 3-1 advantage before surviving Club Brugge’s second-half fightback. Reuters confirmed Torres assisted both McGinn and Jackson as Emery’s side recorded their first victory of the season.
McGinn’s goal also carried another piece of European history, becoming the first goal scored in the league phase of the 2026/27 Champions League. UEFA confirmed the Villa captain was this season’s opening scorer.
McGinn produces captain’s performance in Belgium
The record-breaking goal was only part of McGinn’s contribution.
WhoScored named McGinn their man of the match after he registered:
- One goal
- Four key passes
- Four tackles
- Three shots
- Two shots on target
- Two fouls won
- An 8.11 rating
Those figures underline the influence McGinn continues to have despite Villa’s dramatic summer rebuild.
Competition for places has increased substantially, but the 31-year-old responded with another performance that demonstrated why Emery continues to trust his captain on major European nights.
McGinn helped Villa win the Europa League last season.
Four months later, he has started their latest Champions League campaign by putting himself alone at the top of another page in Aston Villa’s history.
