Scott McTominay has left an indelible mark at Napoli in his short time with the Serie A giants
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Scott McTominay has received high praise from Diego Maradona's son(Image: Icon Sport via Getty Images)
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Diego Maradona’s son has bestowed Scott McTominay with the greatest honour, saying he’s the most important player in Napoli’s history after the Argentinian legend.
McTominay has already achieved legendary status in Naples despite his short time in Italy. The 29-year-old left his boyhood club Manchester United in the summer of 2024, opting to join a Napoli side which last won the Scudetto in 2023 - 34 years after Maradona led the side to their previous success.
Despite his obvious untapped potential, few would have expected the Scotland international to enjoy such an incredible first campaign in Campania. McTominay scored 12 goals and registered six assists in the 2024/25 season to secure the Scudetto in his debut season for Napoli, earning him cult-hero status, a Ballon d’Or ranking and a Serie A Player of the Year award.
That left those affiliated with United to rue the huge mistake they made in letting McTominay leave for a modest sum of £25million. Maradona’s son, Diego Armando Maradona Junior, has now rubbed salt in their wounds by comparing McTominay to Jesus Christ in extraordinarily high praise of the Scot.
He told Televomero: "After my father, McTominay is the most influential player in the history of Napoli. We had God at Napoli in the form of Diego but for me McTominay is Jesus. He is a completely fundamental player."
Maradona is worshipped in Napoli, with murals all around the city dedicated to the 1986 World Cup winner. McTominay has already started to enjoy a fraction of that reverence, having been immortalised with a shrine made in his honour.
Diego Maradona greets Napoli crowd
Diego Maradona is the most revered figure in Napoli's history(Image: Getty)
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Napoli are unlikely to retain their title this season as they currently sit seven points behind Inter Milan with eight games left to play. However, McTominay has remained a crucial player for Antonio Conte’s side, scoring seven in the league and 11 in all competitions in his all-action midfield role.
Explaining how he's improved by playing in Serie A, McTominay said: "At Napoli, I grew both from a tactical and a physical point of view. Tactically, Italy is different from the Premier League.
"I had to adapt and learn very quickly how to play, what movements to make, how to free myself, how to become a problem in the opponent's area and also how to defend. A nice learning curve and I enjoyed every minute."