McTominay’s career has soared since leaving EPL giants Man Utd in 2024
Scotland midfielder Scott McTominay has been nominated for the 2025 Ballon d’Or after winning Serie A with Napoli. Reports across Europe state that the 28-year-old is a candidate for the prestigious award previously won by legends like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Ronaldinho.
The Ballon d’Or is designed to honour the best footballer in the world and McTominay’s title win in Italy has earned him a nomination alongside some of the sport’s most illustrious names. Paris Saint-Germain’s Ousmane Dembele is among the favourites to win the award along with Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal.
The full list of nominees is due to be published tomorrow, 7 August, and the award ceremony will take place in Paris’ plush Théâtre du Châtelet on 22 September. McTominay played a key role in Napoli’s success last season, claiming 13 goals as they brought the Serie A title back to the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. It was the midfielder’s first year in Italy and he has already become an iconic figure among the passionate Napoli support. Fellow Scotland regular Billy Gilmour is one of his team-mates in Naples.
Since leaving Manchester United last August, McTominay’s career has reached a different level. He was already popular among the Tartan Army for a string of dominant displays and important goals in a Scotland shirt. However, he has taken Italy by storm and is now one of the most dangerous players in Serie A.
The player credited Scotland coach Steve Clarke with helping to change his mindset last year as he struggled to get into the team at Old Trafford. “That was the camp where the manager and I sat down and he said that I didn’t look happy, that I didn’t look like I was smiling about the place,” said McTominay. “I thought: ‘Maybe he’s right.’ I went and spoke to my mum, my dad, my girlfriend at the time and they all pretty much said the same thing.
Diego Maradona a Napoli idol but McTominay gets his own nickname
“Sometimes you just need to enjoy football and play with a smile on your face and take it easy. Not everything’s the end of the world if you’re not playing so well and you’re not in the team. Ever since that, I’ve just thought: ‘Let’s go for it.’ It was a weight lifted off my shoulders. It shows you that by speaking to someone – especially the manager because he’s honest and he’ll tell you up front – it can make a significant difference.
“He said he wanted to see the kid who was happy whenever he first came on the scene and was playing every week. He saw a boy who was smiling all the time. Now I look back and think: ‘Yeah, maybe sometimes the pressure and stuff like that can mount and you don’t realise it can affect you.’ You just need to take a step back and say: ‘Listen, let’s just play football, how it was as a kid and enjoy it.’”
Napoli fans idolise Maradona but this year has seen McTominay’s image adorn parts of the city after supporters nicknamed him ‘McFratm’. The word ‘fratm’ translates as ‘brother’, an indication of how highly he is regarded in Naples.
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