During the prestigious Gran Gala del Calcio 2025 ceremony in Milan—Italy’s equivalent to the UK’s PFA Awards—28-year-old Scottish midfielder Scott McTominay was crowned Serie A Player of the Year for the 2024-25 season.
This accolade recognizes his pivotal role in SSC Napoli’s Scudetto-winning campaign, marking a remarkable debut year after his £25.7 million transfer from Manchester United in the summer of 2024.
McTominay also earned a spot in the league’s official Top XI, joining elite company alongside stars like Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez and Nicolò Barella.
McTominay’s win makes him the first Scottish player ever to claim the Serie A Player of the Year award since its inception in 1997, placing him in an illustrious lineage that includes legends such as Zinedine Zidane (1997), Cristiano Ronaldo (2020), Zlatan Ibrahimović (2009), Kaká (2004), and Francesco Totti (2007).
As a Scotland international, he becomes only the second Scot to lift a major European league title, following in the footsteps of Rangers’ Mark Hateley from 1989. His nomination for the 2025 Ballon d’Or—finishing 18th—further underscores his rapid ascent on the global stage.
McTominay’s transformation from a fringe squad player at Manchester United to Napoli’s midfield linchpin was nothing short of sensational.
Under manager Antonio Conte, who was also named Serie A Coach of the Year, McTominay featured in 34 league matches, scoring 12 goals (many from set-pieces) and providing 6 assists—figures that rivaled those of top strikers like Fiorentina’s Moise Kean (19 goals).
Across all competitions, he tallied 13 goals and 6 assists, proving instrumental in Napoli’s title-clinching 2-0 victory over Cagliari on the final day. His physicality, aerial prowess, and late runs into the box drew comparisons to a young Paul Scholes, while his defensive contributions helped Napoli concede just 28 goals in the league.
The ceremony celebrated the 2024-25 season’s highlights, with Napoli dominating proceedings: the club was voted Serie A Team of the Year, and Conte earned coaching honors. The full Top XI lineup reads:
Goalkeeper: Mile Svilar (Roma)
Defenders: Denzel Dumfries (Inter), Amir Rrahmani (Napoli), Alessandro Bastoni (Inter), Federico Dimarco (Inter)
Midfielders: Scott McTominay (Napoli), Nicolò Barella (Inter), Tijjani Reijnders (Milan)
Forwards: Lautaro Martinez (Inter), Moise Kean (Fiorentina), Mateo Retegui (Atalanta)
Inter and Napoli predictably dominated selections, reflecting their tight title race that Napoli edged out on the wire. Other notable winners included referee Daniele Doveri and Serie B’s best young player, Nicolò Bertola (Spezia), with lifetime achievement awards going to Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini.