Rejected by MU, McTominay now stands alongside Ronaldo and Zidane

Scott McTominay has officially joined a “special club” in Italy, which includes legendary figures like Zinedine Zidane and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Scott McTominay left Manchester United (the club where he grew up) in 2024 to join Antonio Conte’s Napoli for a transfer fee of £25 million.

The Scottish midfielder had an outstanding debut season in Serie A, scoring 12 goals and playing a major role in helping Napoli secure the championship. In the final round of the season, in a match where Napoli had to win to claim the Scudetto, McTominay shone with a stunning bicycle kick that opened the scoring.

His influence was duly recognized when McTominay received the Serie A Most Valuable Player award for that season.

His impressive form was also reflected in this year’s Ballon d’Or rankings, where McTominay placed 18th — ahead of many stars such as Jude Bellingham, Erling Haaland, and Declan Rice.

Now, McTominay continues to add to his personal trophy collection as he is honored as the Best Player in Serie A on December 2nd. This award places him among the elite players who have won it before, including icons like Cristiano Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane.

Speaking at the ceremony in Milan, McTominay expressed his joy about choosing to move to Napoli: “It’s amazing, truly unbelievable to be here and receive this award. Thanks to everyone — the club, coaching staff, and teammates. My connection with Napoli is very special; there are so many special places here. Joining Napoli was an easy decision, and I chose the right place.”

McTominay was also included in the Serie A Team of the Season, alongside Manchester City’s newcomer Tijjani Reijnders and former Everton striker Moise Kean.

His excellent performance has also continued at the international level. McTominay scored the opening goal in Scotland’s crucial 4-2 victory over Denmark with another bicycle kick, helping Scotland qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1998.

So far, McTominay has scored 5 goals in 17 appearances for Napoli this season, with Conte’s team currently level on points with league leaders Inter.

Although most Manchester United fans did not strongly oppose his departure, the then-coach Erik ten Hag actually did not want to lose McTominay.

He said: “He is extremely important to the team. He has been at Manchester United for over 22 years. Unfortunately, that’s the rule. You have to follow the regulations on selling players, and clearly academy graduates bring higher value. It’s not the right thing to do, but for everyone involved, it was a good deal. Scott is happy. Napoli got a very quality player. And for us, it was also a good deal.”

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