John McGinn has said watching former Celtic midfielder, Thomas Gravesen take the time out of his day at the end of a Celtic game to speak to fans, as the inspiration for him making sure he offers the same courtesy to supporters at every club he has played at.
The Celtic-supporting Aston Villa midfielder recalled a time he witnessed the big Dane talking to fans outside Celtic Park for almost two hours after a game. That moment as a kid has helped shaped McGinn’s relationship with supporters to this day, and the EPL star says it’s one that he will never forget.
McGinn said [Football Scotland], “Maybe 95 per cent of the time I am the first one there [meeting the fans] because I remember Tommy Gravesen outside Celtic Park spending an hour and 45 minutes after every game. I will never ever forget that.
“As a kid just that one moment can last forever. I remember my mum saying to me at the time, ‘If you ever do well in football remember Tommy Gravesen’.
“He was amazing. Everyone’s perception of him was he was this big joker but anyone who used to wait outside and just want two minutes of his time, he was first class.
“It’s something I have carried through with me from St Mirren, Hibs and then here at Villa. I might not get everyone but I try my best.”
Thomas Gravesen was a bit of a cult hero at Celtic Park. Our first-ever signing from Real Madrid, Gordon Strachan brought in Gravesen for a reported £2m.
As well as scoring in his Glasgow Derby debut, Gravesen also scored his first-ever career hattrick with Celtic in a 3-1 win against St Mirren.
The former Danish international was a bit of an enigma at Celtic Park and still is to this day. Whilst performing well on the domestic scene, he failed to deliver in Europe. He also had a difficult relationship with Gordon Strachan.
After leaving Celtic, Gravesen moved to the US and, bizarrely, became one of the world’s best players at Call of Duty. But at least it is good to know that at Celtic, he always had the supporters in his sights.
In other news, Chris Sutton lists four players that are crucial to Celtic’s Champions League hopes
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