Paul McGinn

Paul McGinn (born 22 October 1990) is a Scottish footballer who plays as a right-back for Scottish Premiership club Motherwell, whom he captains, and for the Scotland national team.

Paul McGinn

McGinn playing for Chesterfield in July 2016.
Personal information
Date of birth	(1990-10-22) 22 October 1990 (age 34)
Place of birth	Glasgow, Scotland
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)[1]
Position(s)	Right-back
Team information
Current team	Motherwell
Number	16
Youth career
	Queen's Park
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2009–2012	Queen's Park	58	(1)
2012–2013	St Mirren	0	(0)
2012–2013	→ Queen's Park (loan)	8	(1)
2013	→ Dumbarton (loan)	14	(2)
2013–2014	Dumbarton	35	(0)
2014–2016	Dundee	68	(1)
2016–2017	Chesterfield	18	(1)
2017–2018	Partick Thistle	26	(0)
2018–2020	St Mirren	57	(3)
2020–2022	Hibernian	70	(6)
2022–	Motherwell	74	(2)
International career‡
2021–	Scotland	1	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16 November 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 22:37, 7 September 2021 (UTC)

Starting his career at Queen's Park in the youth team, McGinn has spent the majority of his career playing in Scotland. After leaving Queen's Park in 2012, he played for St Mirren, Dumbarton, Dundee, Partick Thistle and Hibernian, as well as a stint at English club Chesterfield, before joining Motherwell in 2022. He made his Scotland debut in 2021.

Career

Queen's Park

Raised in Clydebank,^[2] McGinn started his career as a youth player at Queen's Park. He made his debut on 2 May 2009, in Queen's Park's 1–0 defeat to Raith Rovers. Having come on as a substitute, he was sent off in the 90th minute.^[3]

St Mirren

On 18 September 2012, McGinn signed for Scottish Premier League side St Mirren^[4] until the end of the season, despite interest from Aberdeen^[5] and Dundee United.^[6] On 24 November 2012, he went out on loan to former his club Queen's Park.^[7] The loan was necessary to give him game time, as he was registered as an amateur and unable to play in the SPL until January.^[7] He then finished the season on loan to Dumbarton.^[8] Despite being offered a new contract, McGinn opted to leave St Mirren at the end of the season.^[9]

Dumbarton

After his successful loan spell, on 4 June 2013, McGinn agreed a one-year deal with Dumbarton.^[10] In all he made 42 appearances in all competitions that season^[11] as the side finished fifth in the Scottish Championship.^[12] McGinn was also named as part of the 2013–14 PFA Scotland Scottish Championship Team of the Year.^[13]

Dundee

On 20 June 2014, McGinn was persuaded by Dundee manager Paul Hartley to sign a two-year contract alongside former St Mirren teammate Paul McGowan.^[14] He made his debut on 2 August 2014, as Dundee beat Peterhead 4–0 in the Scottish League Cup.^[15]

Chesterfield

On 22 June 2016, McGinn signed a two-year contract with English club Chesterfield after his Dundee contract expired.^[16] He scored his first goal for Chesterfield in a 3–1 EFL Cup loss against Rochdale on 9 August 2016.^[17] On 25 August 2017 he left the club, with his contract being cancelled by mutual consent.^[18]

Partick Thistle

McGinn returned to Scottish football on 31 August 2017, signing a one-year contract with Partick Thistle.^[19] Thistle were relegated from the Scottish Premiership, via the playoffs, in his only season with the club.

St Mirren (second spell)

McGinn returned to St Mirren in May 2018, signing a two-year contract. He agreed a deal with the club while the manager position was vacant; Alan Stubbs took over in June 2018.^[20]

Hibernian

McGinn signed an 18-month contract with Hibernian on 31 January 2020, moving from St Mirren for an undisclosed transfer fee.^[21] He was added to the Scotland international squad in October 2020, after six players dropped out of the initial selection due to injuries and COVID-19.^[22] On the same day as his international selection, McGinn agreed an extended contract with Hibernian.^[23] McGinn scored his first goals for Hibs, and his first since April 2019, when he scored twice in a 2–2 draw with St Johnstone on 24 November.^[24]

On 18 September 2021, McGinn scored against his former club St Mirren during a 2–2 draw.^[25] His appearances for Hibs during the 2021–22 season triggered a one-year extension to his contract, but he was allowed to leave by mutual consent soon afterwards.^[26]

Motherwell

After leaving Hibs, McGinn signed a one-year contract with Motherwell.^[26]

On 24 May 2024, McGinn extended his contract with Motherwell until the summer of 2025.^[27]

International career

In October 2020, McGinn received his first national team call-up from Scotland, but he failed to make an appearance.^[28]

On 6 September 2021, McGinn was called up for Scotland for a second time following three players' withdrawal from the squad.^[29] On 7 September, McGinn came off the bench to make his international debut against Austria in Vienna, where Scotland won 1–0.^[30] His brother John was already on the field, and they became only the third siblings to play together for the national team since the end of World War II.^[31] It was also the first occasion that he and Scotland captain Andy Robertson had played together since their time in the fourth tier of Scottish football with Queen's Park eight years earlier.^[32]

Personal life

Paul's older brother Stephen and younger brother John are also footballers.^[33][2] Stephen is a coach with St Mirren while John plays for Aston Villa.^[34][35] All three brothers have played for St Mirren and Hibernian during their careers.^[36][37] Their grandfather Jack McGinn is a former Celtic chairman^[38] and Scottish Football Association president.^[39]

Career statistics

As of 15 May 2022^[40]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Queen's Park	2008–09[41]	Scottish Second Division	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
	2009–10[42]	Scottish Third Division	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	6	0
	2010–11[43]	Scottish Third Division	26	1	1	0	0	0	2[a]	0	29	1
	2011–12[44]	Scottish Third Division	34	0	4	0	1	0	3[b]	0	42	0
	Total		67	1	5	0	1	0	5	0	78	1
St Mirren	2012–13	Scottish Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Queen's Park (loan)	2012–13[45]	Scottish Third Division	8	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	8	1
Dumbarton (loan)	2012–13[45]	Scottish Championship	14	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	14	2
Dumbarton	2013–14[46]	Scottish Championship	35	0	4	0	2	0	1[c]	0	42	0
Dundee	2014–15[47]	Scottish Premiership	34	1	2	0	3	1	0	0	39	2
	2015–16[48]	Scottish Premiership	34	0	4	1	1	0	0	0	39	1
	Total		68	1	6	1	4	1	0	0	78	3
Chesterfield	2016–17[49]	League One	18	1	0	0	1	1	0	0	19	2
Partick Thistle	2017–18[50]	Scottish Premiership	26	0	2	0	1	0	2[d]	0	31	0
St Mirren	2018–19[51]	Scottish Premiership	35	3	2	0	5	0	2[e]	0	44	3
	2019–20[52]	Scottish Premiership	22	0	0	0	4	0	0	0	26	0
	Total		57	3	2	0	9	0	0	0	70	3
Hibernian	2019–20[52][note 1]	Scottish Premiership	7	0	3	0	0	0	0	0	10	0
	2020–21[53][note 1]	Scottish Premiership	38	3	5	0	4	0	0	0	47	3
	2021–22[54]	Scottish Premiership	25	3	1	0	4	0	4[f]	0	34	3
	Total		70	6	9	0	8	0	4	0	91	6
Career total			363	15	28	1	26	2	14	0	431	18

1. Appearances in the Second Division play-offs
2. One appearance in the Scottish Challenge Cup and two in the Second Division play-offs
3. Appearance in the Scottish Challenge Cup
4. Two appearances in the Scottish Premiership play-offs
5. Two appearances in the Scottish Premiership play-offs
6. Appearances in the UEFA Conference League

Notes

1. One appearance in the 2019–20 Scottish Cup was in a match delayed until October 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

References

1. "Paul McGinn". Hibernian F.C. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
2. "The making of John McGinn and how Aston Villa star defied fears he'd never make it". Daily Record. 18 November 2019. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
3. "Champs see off the Spiders". Rutherglen Reformer. 6 May 2009. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
4. "McGinn follows in the family tradition by joining St Mirren". The Herald. Glasgow. 19 September 2012. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
5. "Aberdeen leading race to sign Queen's Park star Paul McGinn". Daily Record. Glasgow. 2 July 2012. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
6. "Dundee United target Queen's Park Paul McGinn". Daily Express. 3 July 2012. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
7. "Players Out on Loan". saintmirren.net. St Mirren F.C. 24 November 2012. Archived from the original on 4 January 2014. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
8. Findlay, Alan (31 January 2013). "McGinn Signs". Dumbarton F.C. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
9. "McGinn opts to leave St Mirren". Scottish Professional Football League. 22 May 2013. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
10. "Dumbarton sign Paul McGinn from St Mirren". BBC Sport. 4 June 2013. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
11. "Games played by Paul McGinn in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
12. "SPFL Archive 2013/2014". spfl.co.uk. Scottish Professional Football League. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
13. "Falkirk and Rangers dominate team of the year voting". BBC Sport. 18 April 2014. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
14. "Double Paul Signing". Dundee F.C. 20 June 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
15. Christie, James (2 August 2014). "Dundee vs Peterhead". Dundee F.C. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
16. "Scottish defender signs". Chesterfield FC. 22 June 2016.
17. "Rochdale 3-1 Chesterfield". BBC Sport. 9 August 2016. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
18. "Defender Departs". Chesterfield F.C. 25 August 2017. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
19. "Partick Thistle: Paul McGinn joins Premiership outfit after Chesterfield exit". BBC Sport. 31 August 2017. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
20. "Paul McGinn signs with Saints". St Mirren FC. 25 May 2018. Archived from the original on 26 May 2018. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
21. "Paul McGinn: Hibs sign defender from St Mirren for undisclosed fee". BBC Sport. 31 January 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
22. "Scotland calls for Aberdeen's Andrew Considine and Hibernian's Paul McGinn". BBC Sport. 9 October 2020. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
23. Gordon, Moira (9 October 2020). "Paul McGinn and Hibs celebrate Scotland call-up and new contract". Edinburgh Evening News. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
24. McConnell, Alison (25 November 2020). "Paul McGinn ends goal drought to twice foil lively St Johnstone". The Times. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
25. Reed, Matthew (18 September 2021). "Hibernian 2–2 St Mirren". BBC. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
26. "Paul McGinn: Motherwell sign right-back 20 days after Hibernian contract extension". BBC Sport. 22 June 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
27. "2023/24 END OF SEASON SQUAD UPDATE". motherwellfc.co.uk. Motherwell F.C. 24 May 2024. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
28. "Hibs' Stephen McGinn reveals 'immense pride' at brother Paul's Scotland call up". edinburghlive.co.uk. 9 October 2020. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
29. "Hibs defender Paul McGinn gets Scotland call-up after trio withdraw from squad". denbighshirefreepress.co.uk. 6 September 2021. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
30. Watt, Martin (7 September 2021). "Austria 0–1 Scotland". BBC. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
31. "Who were the last brothers to play for Scotland before Paul and John McGinn? Hibs and Rangers players' 63-year record broken by Caldwell siblings". The Scotsman. 8 September 2021. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
32. "Andrew Robertson and Paul McGinn's last game together before steering Scotland to crucial 1-0 win over Austria in Qatar 2022 World Cup qualifier". The Scotsman. 8 September 2021. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
33. "Paul McGinn joins two brothers in winning deal". BBC Sport. 19 September 2012. Retrieved 25 November 2012.
34. "Sibling rivalry drives McGinn on". Yahoo. 29 July 2014. Retrieved 29 June 2013.
35. "McGinn brothers prepare to do battle". The Star. Sheffield. 25 July 2014. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
36. "McGinn makes it a family affair at St Mirren". paisleydailyexpress.co.uk. Paisley Daily Express. 19 September 2012. Retrieved 25 November 2012.
37. "Hibernian sign Stephen McGinn to end of season". BBC Sport. 16 September 2020. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
38. Grahame, Ewing (26 November 2012). "St Mirren's John McGinn continues the family dynasty". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
39. "Dumbarton FC welcome Paul McGinn". Lennox Herald. 8 February 2013. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
40. Paul McGinn at Soccerway. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
41. "Games played by Paul McGinn in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
42. "Games played by Paul McGinn in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
43. "Games played by Paul McGinn in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
44. "Games played by Paul McGinn in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
45. "Games played by Paul McGinn in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
46. "Games played by Paul McGinn in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
47. "Games played by Paul McGinn in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
48. "Games played by Paul McGinn in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
49. "Games played by Paul McGinn in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
50. "Games played by Paul McGinn in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
51. "Games played by Paul McGinn in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
52. "Games played by Paul McGinn in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
53. "Games played by Paul McGinn in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
54. "Games played by Paul McGinn in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 21 July 2021.