Scott McTominay wasn’t even born when Diego Maradona last strutted his stuff in the famous sky blue of Napoli. But the Scotland midfielder didn’t need a moment’s education on the man who still consumes the hearts and minds of everyone at the Serie A giants 33 years after leaving Naples.
Not when his presence could still be felt the second he walked through the doors of the stadium bearing the Argentinian legend’s name in the summer. McTominay admits entering the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona back in August as a Napoli player was surreal.
Not because it was his first day since the age of five that he was no longer associated with Manchester United. But because he knew he was about to walk in the footsteps of the smallest footballing giant of all time who dragged Napoli out of the doldrums and won two Serie A titles, a Coppa Italia, the Suppercopa and the UEFA Cup in seven years in Campania.
This month marks the fourth anniversary of Maradona’s untimely passing. But for McTominay, the player he holds as the greatest ever remains an inspiration to the current squad every single day.
He said: “Yeah very much so. He is obviously the most iconic footballer to ever walk and play the game. When I first walked into the stadium it was a surreal feeling – knowing he is an icon, an absolute legend of football.
“He is heavily in our hearts in Naples. The people absolutely adore him which is a huge factor. Because of how well he played for them and the things he did in Naples. So for us, he is definitely in our head and hearts.”
Thirty-three years on from Maradona’s exit the Napoli faithful have a new midfield maestro to celebrate.
McTominay’s start to life in southern Italy could hardly have gone sweeter with the club sitting top of Serie A, his name one of the first on Antonio Conte’s team sheet and with Sunday’s opening goal in the 1-1 draw with Inter Milan his third in just 10 games.
He’s even had a pizza named after him. Fair to say the 27-year-old hasn’t looked back. Leaving Old Trafford, where he had called home for the best part of two decades and seven years in the first team, might have been a wrench.
But McTominay insists he has no room for regrets in his life. He said: “It was a huge decision for me, my family and my friends. Times like that in your life you just have to say, ‘Do I want to do it?’ Absolutely, and go for it.
“There’s no looking back. I’ve never had any regrets in my life or my career and I’ll continue that way to this day. I want my career to be successful and I’m going to go out of my way to try and push myself to be the best football player and best person that I can possibly be as well.
“It’s not easy going abroad and having to settle in, but it’s been quite seamless to be fair in terms of how much the Italian people have helped me settling into my house and whatever. Things I need like a car or a taxi or anything like that. So, yeah, I’m very grateful to them. They’re real great people who I’m very thankful for as well.
“I always give my absolute best, no matter where I’m playing. Dedication, professionalism, I’ve tried to keep a hold of myself. The things that I’ve done throughout my career has always given me the best platform to play as well as I possibly can do. And that’s all I really focus on. I don’t think about any external things. Football is my sole driving force in life, and I just want to play as good as I can every time I get on the pitch.’
“No matter where you play football, you’re always going to learn different things and pick up different things but for me, I just want to play as good as I possibly can. It’s not about speaking too much and saying anything about how I’m getting on. I just want to get my head on, crack on and train and be as fit as I possibly can and give myself the best platform to succeed.”
The next platform for McTominay is the international one and a chance tonight to pit his wits against another of the greatest midfielders of all time, Luka Modric. League A has been a tough school for Clarke’s side with Cristiano Ronaldo and Robert Lewandowski already having made their mark to leave Scotland without a win. But McTominay is certain the signs are positive for the future.
He said: “We’re playing against some top players every game, it’s not easy. It’s never going to be easy. To win against pot one teams you have to sacrifice, you have to suffer in tough moments and obviously take your moments at the other end. I feel like it’s only a matter of time before the tide starts turning a little bit.
“Going into 2025 is another exciting year for Scottish football and we all want to be a part of that and keep pushing the people in Scotland to support us as much as possible. We’ve been so grateful over the last five, six years that they’ve been behind us no matter what.
“In my opinion, the support at the Euros was the best. Everyone keeps coming to me and saying how amazing your fans were and we were watching the videos and stuff like that.
“So for us that gives us a real passion and that real desire to go and make them happy and give them special memories with their families that they’ll have for the rest of their life as well.”