Former Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay has proven his former teammate wrong after securing a nomination for the Ballon d’Or.
The insulting nickname a Manchester United player gave Scott McTominay has resurfaced after he was nominated for the Ballon d’Or. On Thursday afternoon, a post on the official social media account confirmed the nominees for the Ballon d’Or 2025 ahead of the ceremony in Paris next month.
Success is the best form of revenge!
Read: Alexander Isak turnaround! Liverpool target striker sensation who ‘wants to go to Newcastle’
Although some surprising names were missing, several of the biggest stars made the 30-player roster, with Ousmane Dembélé, Mohamed Salah, Lamine Yamal and Harry Kane among them.
Undoubtedly, it was former United midfielder McTominay who received the most attention after the announcement. He left Old Trafford to join Napoli in August last year.
After the Scotsman was nominated, details of the embarrassing nickname a player gave him during his time at United have surfaced online – and it hasn’t gotten any better over the years.
After playing for United’s academy as a youth player, McTominay spent a total of 22 years as a “Red Devil” before leaving the club for Serie A in a £25.7 million move to Napoli last summer.
Read: Premier League striker fires his agent to negotiate with Manchester United himself
Since then, the 28-year-old has completely transformed his career, scoring 12 Serie A goals in the 2024/25 season while Napoli won the league and McTominay was named Serie A’s Most Valuable Player (MVP).
But his success in Italy is unlikely to be as well received by all his former teammates. According to a report from the Manchester Evening News, a United teammate once called him a “teacher’s pet” during his time at the club.
The report claims that the envious teammate was frustrated with the midfielder’s ability to ingratiate himself with every single manager in charge of United while he was playing there.
McTominay played a key role at United under Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Michael Carrick, Ralf Rangnick and Erik ten Hag.
Even United legend Sir Alex Ferguson is a big supporter of the Scotland international, having brought him to the youth academy during his 26 years as United boss.
“Scott McTominay has now become one of Manchester United’s most important players,” Ferguson said in 2021. I know the boy a little, and I think it’s in the background. I signed him when he was seven or eight years old, and he was actually a striker as a kid.”
