Scott McTominay has been a revelation at Napoli and has received several nicknames from teammates and fans alike.
Scott McTominay has received the ultimate honour in his new environment at Napoli after a brilliant start to life in Serie A.
McTominay surprisingly left Manchester United in the summer and signed for the Italian club in a transfer worth £25 million – a deal that already appears to be exceptionally good. He has impressed so much that former Napoli star Paolo Di Canio has said that United’s directors should be “arrested” for letting McTominay leave.
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The Scotland international has become an instant success at Napoli, with six goals and four assists in Serie A – where Antonio Conte’s side are in second place, three points behind Inter, after 30 games.
He has scored on major away pitches such as the San Siro and Stadio Olimpico, as well as finding the back of the net against Juventus. Napoli’s fans love him.
Early on, the Italian media started calling him Conte’s ‘Jolly’ – a reference to the fact that he, like a joker in a deck, has the ability to turn a losing hand into a winning hand. He then began to be called ‘McTotally’, in tribute to his ability to be “totally present and committed to running everywhere”.
He has also been referred to as the ‘warrior soul of Napoli’, and within weeks of his signing, he was dubbed ‘Braveheart’ by his teammates.
But the 28-year-old midfielder received the ultimate approval from Napoli’s passionate supporters when they painted a mural of him on a city wall – just as they did with their late hero Diego Maradona.
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McTominay is learning Italian
He and his girlfriend Cam Reading have thrown themselves into the culture, and McTominay is now trying to adapt even more by taking Italian lessons twice a week and using language learning apps.
“I’ve always wanted to learn a new language,” McTominay told The Athletic in an interview.
“It’s a great thing to be able to do. And it’s important that people see that we embrace culture as well. The city is amazing. It’s completely different. We have to show that we care about the city and the culture, not just that we play well.”
Next match against Bologna
McTominay and Napoli are back in action on Monday when they travel to Bologna, hoping to bounce back from a 2-1 defeat to AC Milan last time they played.
