Former Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay has been nominated for the Ballon d’Or, not even a year on from his Old Trafford exit, while Mohamed Salah is set for more heartbreak
11:21, 08 Aug 2025
Scott McTominay of SSC Napoli celebrates with team-mates
Scott McTominay was a crucial part of Napoli winning Serie A(Image: Elianton/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images)
Former Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay has been nominated for the Ballon d’Or less than 12 months after his Old Trafford exit.
The United graduate was allowed to leave his boyhood club in a £25million move last summer, joining Napoli. And it was a decision that spectacularly backfired, as the Red Devils slumped to 15th in their worst ever Premier League season, while the Scot has transformed his career and the Naples club as he helped power Napoli to the Scudetto, winning the Serie A Player of the Season in the process.
McTominay, who has earned the nickname "McMaradona" after Napoli icon Diego Maradona and even had a pizza named after him as he lives the dream with stunning girlfriend Cam Reading in Italy, is among 30 nominees for the best player in world football award, and is the first Scot to be shortlisted since former Rangers striker Ally McCoist in 1987.
The 28-year-old scored 12 times in 34 league appearances last season, but his team and individual awards aren’t likely to see him land the Ballon d’Or.
That’s because the overwhelming favourite to win the prize is PSG forward Ousmane Dembele, who like McTominay, has rejuvenated their career to spearhead the most lethal attack in Europe.
Scott McTominay
Scott McTominay won the Serie A title and MVP Trophy(Image: SSC NAPOLI via Getty Images)
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Dembele, 28, was the talisman of Luis Enrique’s PSG side that battered Inter Milan 5-0 in the Champions League final in May.
According to the latest odds, Dembele is 1/4 to win the Ballon d’Or after scoring 35 goals and registering 16 assists in 53 games in all competitions.
It all spells more heartbreak for Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, who is priced at 18/1 to win the prize, fourth in the current market. Michael Owen is the only player to have won the Ballon d’Or while playing for the Reds.
Mohamed Salah is an outsider to win the Ballon d'Or(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Salah notched 34 goals and 23 assists last season for Liverpool, with 47 of those goal involvements coming in the Premier League as the Reds won the title at a canter. However, Arne Slot’s side failed to truly progress in Europe, losing on penalties to a deserving PSG side in the last 16.
Currently second to Dembele in the market is Barcelona sensation Lamine Yamal. The teenager is around 3/1 to win the accolade after winning the double with Barcelona and narrowly missing out on the Champions League final after semi-final defeat.
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Dembele’s PSG team-mate Vitinha is third in the betting at 16/1. Barcelona winger Raphinha is 20/1, alongside Chelsea’s Club World Cup talisman Cole Palmer at 22/1. Meanwhile, McTominay is priced at a huge 250/1.