Former Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay has led Napoli to the club’s second Serie A title in three years.
The Scotland international capped off a stunning first season in Italy by helping fire Napoli to the Scudetto with a win over Cagliari.
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McTominay’s acrobatic effort towards the end of the first half proved pivotal and meant that title rivals Inter Milan were powerless to stop the Southern Italian side, despite beating Como themselves on Friday night.
Napoli went into their game with Cagliari one point ahead of Inter, knowing a victory would secure them the title.
So when McTominay opened the scoring, fans inside and outside the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona were sent crazy, letting off flares and fireworks.
Videos shared on social media showed the incredible scenes as the Italian supporters turned the Naples sky red with smoke.
Romelu Lukaku then doubled Napoli’s lead shortly after the interval, and that once again sent the city wild.
An army of flares erupted from the stands and the surrounding neighbourhoods outside the stadium again.
Then, as the full-time whistle blew, the passion from the stands leaked down onto the pitch with the players.
They roared in celebration and the substitutes and staff sprinted onto the pitch to join the title-winning heroes.
Before fully celebrating, McTominay dropped to his knees and was in tears as he let his emotions flow in Naples.
His teammates then flooded over to him to pile on and show their appreciation for their star midfielder.
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The ex-Man United man has achieved his dreams in Italy and after the game, his season got even better.
He was handed the Serie A MVP award, which saw him win Player of the Season in his debut year in Italy.
Speaking after the game, McTominay told DAZN: “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.”
He added: “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.”
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From Man United castaway to Napoli hero
McTominay, who was shipped out by Manchester United in a £25million deal last summer, has endured a staggering career turnaround since arriving in Naples.
And on a week when United squandered their only hope of salvaging something from a torrid campaign, McTominay celebrated a huge career milestone and a return to Champions League football.
While Lukaku has led the way with 14 league goals this term, it was McTominay who stole the show.
The midfielder has delivered 17 goal contributions this season — a career-best return — to quickly become a fan favourite among Neapolitans.
His goal return has seen him eclipse Denis Law’s record of the highest scoring Scot in Serie A history, after the legendary star’s 11 goals for Torino in 1963.
McTominay is joined in Naples by Scotland teammate Billy Gilmour, with the pair shining under manager Antonio Conte.
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But it is McTominay that has captured the hearts of Napoli supporters — a far cry from his often tumultuous relationship with Manchester United supporters.
The Scot was quickly given the nickname ‘McFratm’ after his arrival in the Italian city.
Fratm is a colloquial term in the Naples region which translates to ‘bro’.
He has since been dubbed McTerminator, MacGyver and the bottle opener — for unlocking games.
And now the nicknames are sure to stick as, just like the title-winning squad of 2023, McTominay is etched into Napoli folklore.
How Napoli won Serie A
It has been an impressive campaign for Conte’s side, who ran out early pacesetters.
The race ebbed and flowed throughout the winter months as Inter showed their power to claw Napoli back in.
The sale of star player Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to Paris Saint-Germain in January did little to convince the home supporters that they were able to mount a sustained title challenge.
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But back-to-back defeats for Inter against Bologna and Roma in April as Simone Inzaghi’s men contested key Champions League fixtures, opened the door to Napoli regaining control of the title race.
A 2-2 draw at home to Lazio saw Inter miss the chance to leapfrog Napoli going into Friday’s final fixtures, as Conte’s side battled to a goalless draw at Parma.
But it is McTominay and Napoli that reign supreme, while Inter have the opportunity of redemption in next weekend’s Champions League final against PSG.
