McTominay conquers Napoli.

With his decisive goals and passionate style of play, McTominay became Napoli's hero in the title race, a victory that could engrave his name in the club's history.

With his decisive goals and passionate style of play, McTominay became a hero for Napoli.

It took just 28 seconds on his debut in September for Scott McTominay to make his mark with his first goal for Napoli. Eight months later, the Scottish midfielder is on his way to becoming a new icon of Naples, leading Antonio Conte's team closer to their fourth Serie A title.

McTominay's impressive season

"MacGyver," "McTerminator," "Apribottiglie" (The Bottle Opener), or "McFratm"—the people of Naples may call him by any nickname, but they all convey one thing: they love Scott McTominay.

Following his brace in Napoli's 2-0 victory over Torino in Serie A's 34th round on April 28th, McTominay propelled Napoli to the top of the table, three points ahead of Inter Milan, with only four rounds remaining in the season.

McTominay is having the most impressive season of his career with 11 goals in Serie A – enough to break the record for most goals scored by a Scottish player in the league, surpassing Denis Law's 10 goals for Torino in the 1961/62 season.

"I truly believe I can achieve more than I have so far," McTominay told La Gazzetta dello Sport. "There have been games where I felt disappointed because I could have scored more goals. I haven't taken full advantage of the opportunities."

Seven of McTominay's goals were the opening goals in matches – no player in Serie A has done this more than him in the 2024/25 season. His ability to be in the right place at the right time earned him the nickname "Apribottiglie" (The Bottle Opener) from Napoli fans.

McTominay is having the most impressive season of his career with 11 goals in Serie A.

Beyond scoring goals on the pitch, McTominay also won over the people of Naples with his efforts to integrate into the local culture. He learned Italian to the point where he could answer interviews on his own without an interpreter, and even recorded messages in Italian for his fans.

Teammate Billy Gilmour revealed that he couldn't go out with McTominay without being surrounded by crowds of people. This closeness to the fans has helped McTominay become a new idol in this city with a strong tradition of passionate football.

"I love the tomatoes grown here," McTominay once shared about the local cuisine , demonstrating his genuine interest in Neapolitan culture.

Conte's winning formula

Under Antonio Conte's guidance, McTominay was freed from the defensive midfield role he typically played at Manchester United. At Napoli, he was allowed to play as an attacking midfielder, joining the attack and penetrating the opponent's penalty area to score goals.

The two goals against Torino perfectly illustrated this role: both came from runs into the box and finished, one from a cross by Frank Anguissa and the other from the right wing.

With four games remaining, Napoli will face teams in the bottom half of the table – Lecce, Parma, and Cagliari – even though they are still fighting to avoid relegation.

Meanwhile, reigning champions Inter Milan are going through a crisis period with three defeats in eight days, including a 1-0 loss to Roma on April 27th.

Under Antonio Conte's guidance, McTominay was freed from the defensive midfield role he typically played at Manchester United.

If Napoli successfully defend their lead, this will be the club's fourth Serie A title. And if Diego Maradona was the symbol of the first two titles, and Kvaratskhelia and Osimhen shared the glory last season, then it is quite possible that McTominay – or "McFratm" to the people of Naples – will be remembered as the face of this season's glory.

Despite McTominay receiving a lot of attention, Napoli remains a star-studded team. Romelu Lukaku has contributed 12 goals and 10 assists, while center-back Alessandro Buongiorno has also made a significant difference in defense.

However, during difficult times when Khvicha Kvaratskhelia left and the team struggled to create chances, it was McTominay who stepped up to shoulder the responsibility, as seen in last week's 1-0 win against Monza with a decisive header.

From Manchester to Naples, from a surplus player at Old Trafford to a hero under Diego Armando Maradona, Scott McTominay is writing his own fairy tale. And with each goal, each victory, "a Scotsman in Naples" is getting closer to etching his name into the history of the southern Italian team.

Source: https://znews.vn/mctominay-chinh-phuc-napoli-post1549585.html