Lewis Stevenson _(Image: Ross Parker - SNS Group)_
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Lewis Stevenson has named former Hibs team-mate John McGinn as his all-time sporting hero.
The Easter Road legend, who left the club to join Raith Rovers at the end of his contract last summer, says the esteem in which he holds McGinn is as much about the player as it is the person. Stevenson played alongside the midfielder for three years at Hibs before he was snapped up by Aston Villa.
Now, McGinn is the Villa captain, Scotland's talisman, and a seasoned Premier League player with Champions League experience to boot. Stevenson admits to being blown away the first time he saw a young McGinn tussling with Celtic's Victor Wanyama when he was an emerging talent at St Mirren.
And his admiration only grew when they become colleagues at Easter Road.
Stevenson told [Nutmeg FC](https://www.nutmegfc.co.uk/p/my-sporting-hero-lewis-stevenson): "It was the evolution of John that impressed me. I remember watching him playing for St Mirren in a game against Celtic. John had a skinhead and he was giving Victor Wanyama, who was the top player in the league at the time, a really hard time.
"I thought to myself, “Who is that guy?” I always took a shine to the way John played and when he came to Hibs, I couldn’t believe how good he was."
Stevenson says the old 'never meet your heroes' adage doesn't apply to McGinn, admitting he feels lucky to have met him.
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"What was most important for me was what a great guy he was," said Stevenson. "He wears his heart on his sleeve, but off the pitch he would do anything for you. Some people never get to meet the heroes, but I’ve been lucky in that I’ve got to meet John McGinn.
"Sometimes you see these sporting heroes, and they’re almost like film stars, so it’s hard to relate to them. But that’s not the case with John. Any youngster could look up to him."