Former Manchester United star Scott McTominay is set to be nominated for the 2025 Ballon d’Or as the 28-year-old midfielder’s meteoric rise with Napoli shows no signs of slowing down.
From Zero to Hero
During McTominay’s time with United, he was a much-maligned figure amongst the fanbase, despite the Scotland international always being trusted by the revolving door of managers at Old Trafford.
Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Erik ten Hag all rated McTominay highly and considered him a valuable member of their respective squads because of his attitude, physicality, work-rate and tactical flexibility.
But this ability to adapt to his manager’s needs led the Carrington graduate to being rarely deployed in his best position, instead mostly playing as a defensive midfielder across his 255 United appearances due to of a paucity of other options at the club.
McTominay lacks the technical ability to operate as a deep-lying midfielder, particularly if he is partnered with players like Fred, Bruno Fernandes, or Paul Pogba, players who will seek to drive forward and leave the Scot to anchor the midfield on his own.
McTominay became vilified for his performances as a defensive midfielder due to his, and the team’s, struggles, when he was played there. But his best position is undoubtedly as a box-crashing number eight – a role he only really began to enjoy as an option off the bench under Ten Hag in his final season with United.
Devoid of defensive responsibility and free to press and harass the opposition midfield and defence, McTominay’s outstanding physical attributes and surprising nose for goal make him an excellent box-to-box midfielder if his manager is willing to compromise on his abilities in possession.
It is not McTominay’s fault he was shoehorned into a role that did not suit his skillset. Rather, it’s a testament to his professionalism and sacrifice that he was willing to play wherever he was asked without complaint – a selflessness sorely lacking at Old Trafford in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson malaise.
McTominay left his boyhood club last summer to join Italian side Napoli in a deal worth £25.7 million with his status as an academy player driving United’s desire to sell as the fee constituted ‘pure profit’ from a PSR perspective.
But Naples has proven a superb destination with the Serie A giant headed by Antonio Conte, a manager who values physicality and discipline from his midfielders as much as skill and technique.
Conte unleashed McTominay’s true potential in the 2024/25 campaign by deploying him as the most advanced part of a three-man midfield unit – a decision which has seen the 28-year-old elevate to a level few believed he was capable and has made him a darling of the football-centric Italian city.
A Ballon d’Or Contender
Napoli clinched the Serie A title on the last day of the season with a 2-0 win over Cagliari ahead of rivals Inter Milan.
McTominay scored a superb bicycle kick to open proceedings – his 12th league goal of the campaign, along with four assists.
After the match, amidst raucous celebrations in the Diego Armanda Maradona stadium as Napoli lifted just their fourth Scudetto 99-year history, he was crowned as Serie A’s MVP, an award for the league’s best player in a season.
But the Scot is now set to be recognised for his performances on a global scale, not just within Italian football.
Journalist SamC_reports reveals McTominay has been “nominated for the 2025 Ballon d’Or” – a truly astonishing achievement for a player many United fans had written off at points over previous seasons.
🚨 EXCLUSIVE: Scott McTominay has been nominated for the 2025 Ballon d’Or, I understand.
28 years old. 48 games. 16 goals.
Serie A champion with Napoli.⁰
His first ever nomination. From squad player to world elite.Congrats, Scott! pic.twitter.com/CHHxaDRAo2
— Sam C (@SamC_reports) August 6, 2025
Tweet: “EXCLUSIVE: Scott McTominay has been nominated for the 2025 Ballon d’Or, I understand. 28 years old. 48 games. 16 goals. Serie A champion with Napoli. His first ever nomination. From squad player to world elite.”
While it may be tempting to engage in a sense of regret at McTominay’s progress since leaving United, it’s an ascension which could never have happened at Old Trafford; it required a change of scenery and manager for the Scot to become a legend in Italy.
Feature image Francesco Pecoraro via Getty Images
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Darragh Fox
Darragh is a writer for The Peoples Person who spent three years as a history graduate slowly realising football was by far the most interesting thing to write about.
