John McGinn scores twice to close in on Scotland's all-time goal record

John McGinn scored two goals during Scotland's 2-1 victory over North Macedonia on Saturday night. The win moved the Aston Villa midfielder to 24 international goals. He is now six goals away from the Scottish men's all-time record of 30. That mark has been shared by Kenny Dalglish and Denis Law since 1974.

The match took place in the Nations League. McGinn made the score 1-0 with his first goal. Che Adams provided the assist for that strike. McGinn added the second goal later in the game to secure the win. It was his 94th appearance for Scotland. The result came after a period of limited scoring for the 32-year-old midfielder.

McGinn did not score for Scotland during the entire year of 2025. That was the first time he went a full calendar year without an international goal since 2020. He described the recent stretch as a dry patch for him on the goal front. He said in a post-match interview that the record has been in the back of his mind. He added that climbing that table means the team has been successful.

Kenny Dalglish, who is 75, watched the match. The game was originally expected to mark Andy Robertson reaching 102 caps, which would have tied Dalglish as Scotland's most-capped player. Instead, the focus shifted to McGinn's goal tally. Dalglish's record has stood for decades, making McGinn's approach unusual as a midfielder rather than a forward.

Sebastien Pocognoli, the new Scotland head coach, has given McGinn more responsibility in front of goal. McGinn has taken the majority of penalties this season. He has scored three penalties and missed one this campaign. The only miss came against Fulham on Halloween when he hit the crossbar. He scored a penalty against Manchester United the following week.

Pat Nevin, a former Scotland winger, told Sportsound that McGinn is definitely capable of breaking the record. Nevin predicted it might take another year or two. Che Adams, who assisted McGinn's first goal against North Macedonia, said McGinn is the best person he has met in football. Adams noted that McGinn will not stop until he achieves the milestone.

McGinn now ties the record for most goals by a midfielder for Scotland. He is level with Hughie Gallacher, a member of the 1957 Wembley Wizards. The next opportunity for McGinn to close the gap will come during the next international window.