Site Staff 
Players have been moving between Celtic and Aston Villa for years, and a few of those moves still get talked about now. Throw in John McGinn’s near-miss and that mad Champions League night at Villa Park, and there’s a proper football story linking Glasgow and Birmingham.
Celtic and Aston Villa have crossed paths plenty of times, and some of those links turned into big careers. Stiliyan Petrov became a major figure at both clubs, while John McGinn came close to joining Celtic before heading to Birmingham instead. Viljami Sinisalo then moved the other way in 2024, adding another name to a connection that already had plenty of history behind it. That history includes direct transfers and failed moves. It also includes a Champions League meeting at Villa Park. For Celtic supporters, the Birmingham connection keeps turning up in different generations, usually with a recognisable name attached.
Villa Park Has Become Part of the Celtic Story
The most recent meeting gave Celtic supporters a proper look at Villa Park. Brendan Rodgers took his side to Birmingham on 29 January 2025 for the final game of the Champions League league phase, with Celtic already guaranteed a place in the knockout play-off round. The night turned into a six-goal scrap rather than a routine European away game.
Morgan Rogers scored after three minutes and again two minutes later, but Adam Idah pulled Celtic level with goals in the 36th and 38th minutes. Ollie Watkins restored Villa’s lead after the break before Rogers completed his hat-trick in stoppage time. The final score was 4-2, with 42,824 inside Villa Park.
That match also showed how quickly interest in a particular fixture can become practical for supporters planning a trip. Fans looking for Aston Villa tickets can compare listings for Villa home and away matches across partner marketplaces, then narrow them by ticket quantity or stadium area. The page also separates away-section listings and hospitality options, while seated-together filtering is useful for supporters travelling in pairs or groups.
Villa Park has therefore become more than a name from English football for recent Celtic supporters. Plenty of them have now made the journey themselves in European competition.
Stiliyan Petrov Became the Strongest Link Between Both Clubs
Stiliyan Petrov is the obvious place to start when the conversation turns to Celtic and Aston Villa. He arrived in Glasgow from CSKA Sofia in 1999 as a 20-year-old and spent seven years at Celtic, becoming a central midfielder in Martin O’Neill’s successful side.
During O’Neill’s five seasons, Celtic won three league titles and three Scottish Cups. They also lifted one League Cup. Petrov was there for that run and also for the trip to the 2003 UEFA Cup final in Seville. He developed from a young Bulgarian signing into a player Celtic supporters trusted in the biggest games.
The next part of the story almost wrote itself. O’Neill took charge of Aston Villa in 2006 and signed Petrov that summer, giving him another seven-year association with a club where he eventually became captain.
That is what makes Petrov different from most names on this list. He did not simply pass through both clubs. He became important to both.
When Celtic went back to Villa Park in 2025, Petrov was caught directly between two sets of supporters who still regarded him as one of their own. He had spent seven years in Glasgow and seven in Birmingham, which is about as even a football loyalty problem as you can create.
John McGinn Became Celtic’s Most Famous Villa Near-Miss
John McGinn belongs in this story for the opposite reason. He never played for Celtic, although the move came close enough in 2018 that supporters spent that summer expecting it to happen.
McGinn had already built his reputation at Hibernian after beginning his senior career with St Mirren. Celtic wanted him, Hibs rejected their bids and Aston Villa eventually completed the deal in August 2018. Villa have since confirmed that McGinn, a boyhood Celtic supporter, chose Birmingham despite interest from the club he grew up following.
His first season made the missed opportunity harder to ignore. Villa reached the Championship play-off final at Wembley in May 2019 and McGinn scored the goal that put them 2-0 ahead against Derby County. Villa won 2-1 and returned to the Premier League.
He later became club captain and went on to play European football at Villa Park. By the time Celtic arrived there in the Champions League in January 2025, the midfielder Celtic once tried to sign was leading Villa there.
There is no point pretending every transfer near-miss becomes a disaster. Plenty disappear from memory within a season. McGinn is different because Celtic supporters have been able to watch the career he might have had in Glasgow develop very publicly in Birmingham.
Transfer Route Between Birmingham and Glasgow Runs Both Ways
Alan McInally moved from Celtic to Villa in 1987, helped them win promotion to the old First Division and then scored 14 league goals during the 1988/89 season.
Alan Thompson travelled in the opposite direction in 2000. Martin O’Neill brought him north from Villa during his first summer as Celtic manager, and Thompson became part of the side that completed the domestic treble in 2000/01. Shaun Maloney later moved from Celtic to Villa in 2007 before returning to Glasgow the following year.
Viljami Sinisalo became the latest direct transfer in July 2024 when Celtic signed the Finland goalkeeper from Aston Villa on a five-year contract.
| Player | Direction | Year | Connection |
| Alan McInally | Celtic to Aston Villa | 1987 | Promotion and 14 league goals in 1988/89 |
| Alan Thompson | Aston Villa to Celtic | 2000 | Part of Celtic’s 2000/01 domestic treble |
| Shaun Maloney | Celtic to Aston Villa | 2007 | Returned to Celtic in 2008 |
| Scott Sinclair | Aston Villa to Celtic | 2016 | Reunited with Brendan Rodgers |
| Viljami Sinisalo | Aston Villa to Celtic | 2024 | Signed a five-year Celtic deal |
There have been some near-misses too. Celtic were tracking Aston Villa winger Tyreik Wright in 2021 while he was on loan at Walsall, although that move never happened.
Aston Villa’s European Rise Gives the Connection Fresh Relevance
Aston Villa were a Championship club when McGinn arrived in 2018. Eight years later, they went into August 2026 preparing for another Premier League season after establishing themselves as a serious European side under Unai Emery.
That climb gives the Celtic connection a different edge. Earlier links between the clubs were usually about individual players moving north or south. The January 2025 Champions League match put the clubs directly opposite each other on a major European night, with Villa winning 4-2 and Celtic still progressing from the league phase into the knockout play-off round.
Villa’s European story did not stop there. They went on to win the 2025/26 Europa League, which took them into the UEFA Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain in Salzburg on 12 August 2026. PSG won 2-1, although 17-year-old Brian Madjo scored for Villa and became the youngest goalscorer in Super Cup history.
That is a long way from the Villa side McInally joined in 1987 or even the club McGinn joined in the Championship. Celtic supporters looking south now see a club playing regularly on the same major European football stage, which makes every new connection between Glasgow and Birmingham easier for Celtic supporters to notice.
Sinisalo Keeps the Connection Alive at Celtic
Viljami Sinisalo gives the story a current Celtic ending. The Finland international came through Aston Villa’s academy and built first-team experience through loan spells before Celtic signed him permanently on 16 July 2024.
His final loan before the move was particularly useful. Sinisalo made 50 appearances for Exeter City during the 2023/24 season and was named the League One club’s player of the year. Celtic then gave him a five-year contract, bringing another Villa-developed player into the squad.
He made his Celtic debut against Raith Rovers on 8 February 2025, with the Hoops winning 5-0. By then the old transfer connection had acquired another generation.
Petrov and Thompson belong to very different Celtic sides. Sinclair arrived in another era, while McGinn remains the great move that never happened. Sinisalo is the present-day version of the same connection: another player whose career has carried the Aston Villa and Celtic names, keeping a durable football link between the clubs alive today.
Celtic and Aston Villa FAQs
Which players have played for both Celtic and Aston Villa?
Stiliyan Petrov, Alan McInally, Alan Thompson, Shaun Maloney and Scott Sinclair all represented both clubs. Viljami Sinisalo also joined Celtic permanently from Aston Villa in July 2024.
Did John McGinn nearly sign for Celtic?
Yes. Celtic pursued McGinn while he was at Hibernian in 2018, but Aston Villa completed the transfer in August. McGinn later became Villa captain.
When did Celtic last play Aston Villa?
The clubs met at Villa Park in the Champions League on 29 January 2025. Aston Villa won 4-2 after Celtic recovered from 2-0 down to make the score 2-2 before half-time.
Which Aston Villa player most recently joined Celtic?
Viljami Sinisalo joined Celtic from Aston Villa on 16 July 2024. The Finland goalkeeper signed a five-year deal and made his Celtic debut in February 2025.
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