Soccer Football - Serie A - Napoli v Cagliari - Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, Naples, Italy - May 23, 2025 Napoli's Scott McTominay celebrates after winning Serie A REUTERS/Matteo Ciambelli
(Reuters) -Napoli talisman and Serie A champion Scott McTominay was named Italian Serie A's player of the season on Friday.
The Scotland midfielder has been vital for Napoli, scoring 12 goals and providing six assists in 34 league matches, and he started the title celebrations in Naples with a stunning bicycle kick that sealed a 2-0 win over Cagliari.
The 28-year-old former Manchester United player has emerged as a key member of the Napoli team after Khvicha Kvaratskhelia moved to Paris St Germain in January.
"The sacrifice of every single player in this group is just incredible. The people deserve it, as they’ve been behind us from day one. For me to come here and experience this, it’s just a dream," McTominay told DAZN.
In Naples he now goes by the name "McFratm" among supporters, a playful fusion of his name and "Fratm", the Neapolitan word for "my brother".
"My Italian is OK, I can understand, but speaking it takes more confidence and it’s not easy. It is much easier to do it with people who don’t speak any English. I can feel a lot of love," McTominay said, adding that he just had learned the words "festeggiamo, andiamo", meaning "let’s go celebrate".
(Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk, editring by Ed Osmond)
