There are players who carry a nation on their back, and then there is John McGinn. For Scotland supporters, he has long occupied a status that sits somewhere between talisman and institution — the kind of footballer whose name gets chanted in adversity as much as in triumph. Yet as McGinn closes in on his 92nd cap, an honest question is beginning to form, even if it is one that supporters are reluctant to entertain: is his best international football now behind him?

It is a question that demands careful handling. McGinn himself, speaking ahead of Scotland's fixture in Skopje, was thoughtful and measured when the subject of form and expectation was raised. He acknowledged the scrutiny that comes with seniority, the double-edged nature of being the player everyone looks to. "When you do something well, you're the best thing since sliced bread," he said. "When you don't have a great couple of games, you're automatically not good enough. It's the nature of being my age." He turns 32 later this month.

The statistics remain impressive in aggregate. McGinn sits fifth in Scotland's all-time scoring chart with 21 goals from 91 appearances, trailing the legendary Lawrie Reilly by a single strike. On appearances alone, he is third in the all-time list and accelerating towards a century. That weekend belongs, in headline terms, to Andy Robertson, who wins his 100th cap — but McGinn's milestone is not far distant.

What is harder to quantify, though no less real, is the sense that the game-changing moments have become less frequent. The double-deflected goal against Haiti at the World Cup stands as the most vivid recent example of McGinn at his galvanising best for his country. Beyond that, the flashes of the player who once seemed capable of deciding matches almost single-handedly have been harder to find on the international stage. The effort and the leadership remain undiminished — those qualities appear non-negotiable with McGinn — but the decisive interventions have thinned out.

He is refreshingly honest about his position within the squad, resisting any notion that his status makes him untouchable. "I'm certainly not undroppable," he said plainly, recalling without grievance the occasion when Steve Clarke placed him on the bench. "The best players will play for Scotland. If that's a team without me in it, I'll be the biggest Scotland supporter on the bench." It is the kind of equanimity that comes with experience, and with genuine confidence rather than false modesty.

At club level, his legacy at Aston Villa is already the stuff of folklore. McGinn was central to their promotion from the Championship in 2019 and their survival in the Premier League the following season, and he has remained a cornerstone as the club rebuilt its identity. That deep-rooted club significance only sharpens the contrast with what has felt, at international level, like a quieter chapter.

What keeps him motivated, he says, is the feeling of that first Scotland cap in 2016 against Denmark — the pride, the emotion of pulling on the dark blue. "You never know when it's going to be your last," he reflected. It is that uncertainty, rather than the certainty of his place, that appears to animate him most.

Scotland supporters will not thank anyone for dwelling too long on this theme, and rightly so — McGinn's service to his country has been extraordinary. But the finest tribute to a player of his calibre is to hold him to the highest standard, not to excuse him from it. A return to his most influential international self would be welcome, and in Skopje on Saturday evening, the opportunity to offer just such a reminder was there for the taking.

FAQs

Frequently asked

How many Scotland caps does John McGinn have?
After Scotland's fixture in Skopje, John McGinn will have 92 caps for Scotland, making him third on the country's all-time appearance list.
How many goals has John McGinn scored for Scotland?
McGinn has scored 21 goals in 91 Scotland appearances, placing him fifth in the country's all-time scoring chart — one behind Lawrie Reilly.
Has John McGinn ever been dropped by Scotland?
Yes. McGinn has acknowledged that Scotland manager Steve Clarke placed him on the bench on at least one occasion, and he says he had no issue with that decision, insisting no player in the squad is undroppable.