The 31-year-old Scotland midfielder, who joined Villa from Hibernian in 2018, held the trophy aloft in front of the travelling Aston Villa supporters and a watching Prince William — a lifelong fan of the club who made the journey to Turkey for the occasion.
McGinn spoke to TNT Sports immediately after the presentation, situating the moment within the wider story of a club that was close to relegation when the current ownership first arrived.
"I can't believe it to be honest. What we've been through as a club — this club was close to being in a right bad state seven years ago. V Sports bought the club over. Their one remit was to get it back to the Premier League and back to the levels of before. Tonight was everything we built coming together. The pride I felt with 10 minutes to go knowing we were about to be champions — I can't describe it."
He was straightforward in his assessment of how the game unfolded, paying tribute to set-piece coach Austin MacPhee, whose crafted corner routine directly produced the opening goal from Youri Tielemans.
"We started well. I'm biased, but we have a great set piece coach in Austin MacPhee. We tried to deceive a bit with the set piece. We did it against Liverpool at the weekend. Youri has great quality to find the goal. It'd have been over the bar if it were me."
McGinn also placed the evening within the context of his personal history with European finals — as a young supporter rather than a participant.
"As a kid growing up I remember Celtic in 2003. It wasn't a great night for them but it was special. I was lucky enough to go to the final at Hampden in 2007. To be here, in 2026, as captain of Aston Villa is incredible. It's the proudest night of my career."
And on being 31 and reaching his first European final later than many of his peers, the humour was easy to find.
"Being 31, in my first European final, I've seen my mates (Jack) Grealish and (Andrew) Robertson win European trophies. It's my turn. It's so special, I'll cherish every minute."