Explore Scott McTominay‘s incredible debut season at Napoli, where he won the Serie A title, earned the league MVP award, and became a fan favorite after his transfer from Manchester United.
Discover his crucial goals, connection with fans, and Antonio Conte’s praise.
The Neapolitan Dream: Scott McTominay’s Stunning Season at Napoli
Scott McTominay has proven there is indeed plenty of life after Manchester United, culminating his first season away from Old Trafford with both a Serie A title and the league’s prestigious MVP award. The Scotland midfielder crowned a sensational debut season in Italy with the crucial opening goal in Napoli’s decisive 2-0 victory over Cagliari. This win sealed the Serie A title for Napoli, edging out rivals Inter Milan by a single point.
Ending his 22-year tenure with Manchester United, McTominay made a £25 million ($34 million) transfer to Napoli last summer. In Naples, he quickly made an impact, scoring 12 goals in Serie A and 13 goals overall (including the opener against Cagliari). Notably, six of these goals came in the final seven games of the campaign, helping to propel his side towards the finish line. His outstanding performance led to him being honored as the league’s player of the season.
Napoli coach Antonio Conte praised McTominay’s development, noting his growing maturity and influence. Conte highlighted that McTominay now feels more complete and knowledgeable, reaching a key stage in his career. Unlike his time at Manchester United where he never had a primary role, Conte emphasized that Napoli gave him one. According to Conte, McTominay’s hard work has helped him become a complete player. Conte, who prioritized signing both McTominay and Romelu Lukaku, was also named Serie A coach of the year.
The connection with the Napoli faithful runs deep; supporters now affectionately call him “McFratm,” a playful blend of his name and “Fratm,” the Neapolitan word for “my brother”. McTominay himself expressed how he can feel a lot of love from the fans.
The victory against Cagliari sparked emotional scenes, with McTominay dropping to the pitch in tears after the match. He spoke about the incredible sacrifice of every single player and how the people of Naples deserved this triumph, having supported the team from day one. For him, coming to Naples and experiencing this success was “just a dream”. While acknowledging his Italian is “OK” and he can understand, he admitted speaking it requires more confidence. He shared that he had just learned the words “festeggiamo, andiamo,” meaning “let’s go celebrate“.
Alongside McTominay, Romelu Lukaku, another significant summer signing for Napoli from Chelsea, also played a key role. Lukaku scored Napoli’s second goal against Cagliari, marking his 14th goal of the season, in addition to leading the league with 10 assists.
Napoli’s title win is their fourth in Serie A history. This marks their second Serie A title in the past three seasons, a remarkable feat given they had previously only won two titles in their entire history – both powered by the legendary Diego Maradona in 1986-87 and 1989-90.
While McTominay and Lukaku celebrated their Serie A triumph, their former club, Manchester United, experienced another difficult moment, losing the Europa League final just two days prior. McTominay came up through the ranks at United, playing 255 times before his transfer.
Other notable Serie A award winners included Roma’s Mile Svilar (goalkeeper), Inter’s Alessandro Bastoni (defender), AC Milan’s Tijjani Reijnders (midfielder), and Atalanta’s Mateo Retegui (striker). Como forward Nico Paz was recognized as the best under-23 player.
Scott McTominay’s move to Naples has clearly revitalized his career, leading him to incredible personal and team success in his very first season. Stay tuned with us for more such news.