Winning Serie A with Napoli. Ballon d’Or candidate. Scott McTominay has overseen some pretty sensational events over the past 12 months. But getting your country to play in the World Cup for the first time in over a quarter of a century is definitely the best thing that could have happened.
There was so much drama in the final 10 minutes of the Hampden Park classic that McTominay’s spectacular bicycle kick was almost forgotten. It might not even be named the best goal of the night. But it set the tone for a night of mayhem and glory.
I’ve seen bicycle kicks like this before. This compares to Gareth Bale’s record in the 2018 Champions League final against Liverpool and Jude Bellingham’s record for England against Slovakia at last year’s Euros.
Both of these players were Real Madrid stars when they scored these goals. That is what McTominay is to his country, the Galactico of Scotland.
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
McTominay’s stunning overhead kick sent Scottish fans into a frenzy at Fan Park.
On a night of passion in Glasgow, Scotland needed something to calm them down. Goal was the answer. That quality alone lifted the roof of the stadium.
Still, McTominay turned to celebrate, providing calm to those around him. “I’ve got this,” he seemed to say. The experienced head had a calm presence, aware that there was still a long way to go and probably knowing what would happen later in the game.
McTominay called for calm during celebrations – the aura and personality of a top-class player
It’s an aura that supports the team through adversity. Even though the team loses to Greece, they survive with some luck from Belarus and a few days later they are able to beat an international team recognized in Denmark. A team that lost their center back in the pre-match warm-up, then lost their star winger to an early injury, and still managed to win.
This is a team that could use a 42-year-old goaltender in goal, but still has the real offensive power to negate it.
Scotland have a captain in Andy Robertson who has won it all. They have another cult hero in John McGuinn. However, there is no doubt who their current marquee player is.
The great thing about McTominay’s evolution is that he has grown within this Scotland team. His promotion with the national team coincided with his on-field progress as a player.
In the 2020 European Championship, Scotland’s first competition in 23 years, it is now completely unthinkable that a player who is now a major goal threat for club and country played most of the season as a centre-back.
Looking back at the tournament four years ago, Scotland didn’t quite belong on that stage, just as McTominay didn’t belong on defense.
Scott McTominay was Scotland’s centre-back at Euro 2020.
At Euro 2024, McTominay was a goal threat but not world class. The same was true for Scotland, again leading to an early withdrawal.
But now Scotland are at a point where their talisman is at its best, having qualified for the biggest stage of the World Cup. Both McTominay and his national team are reaching their full potential.
McTominay’s variety of positions throughout his career has given rise to the notion that he has long been misunderstood.
At Manchester United, he was seen as a water bearer, a sitting midfielder and a player who would grab headlines on the other side of the game, as he had recently done with Napoli and Scotland.
Some will point to McTominay’s move to Napoli last season as a major turning point in the Scot’s story. After all, he is also a former United player who has been very successful since leaving Old Trafford.
But there is another turning point that is less talked about, and it is reasonable to assume that the man behind it is Steve Clarke, the Scotland national team manager.
At the start of 2023, a full 18 months before leaving United, McTominay was at the lowest point of his career. The midfielder, who barely started a game for the club in Erik ten Hag’s first full season in charge, met with Clarke during the March international break.
McTominay told reporters last year: “When the manager and I sat down, he said I didn’t look happy, I didn’t look like I was smiling there. I thought, ‘Maybe he’s right’.”
“I went and talked to my mom, dad and my girlfriend at the time, and they all said pretty much the same thing: Sometimes you just have to enjoy your soccer, play with a smile, and relax.”
“From then on, to be honest, I started thinking, ‘Let’s try it.’ It took a weight off my shoulders.”
The 2022-23 season was McTominay’s lowest in terms of minutes since he became a first-team regular for United. This season was less affected by injuries, as he started just 16 of his 39 appearances for United that season. He was not trusted by the club.
“I hate it when I’m not playing. It hurts whenever I’m not playing,” McTominay said at the time. “So any time you go into camp, you’re obviously going to be upset.
“I’m running to the practice field. I’m not sulking, but I want to play. It’s your livelihood and you want to be a part of it as much as possible.”
“After that conversation, obviously things fall into place a little bit and you start thinking, ‘You know what? You have one career, so maybe you should pursue that while you’re here.’
And try what he has. In his first game after his conversation with Clarke, he scored twice in a Euro 2024 qualifier against Cyprus. Three days later, he scored another double on the famous Hampden night against Spain. Before he knew it, he had scored six goals in five games for Scotland, earning them a ticket to the Euros.
That form helped him regain his place at United, and ten Hag’s second season saw him feature even more in attacking areas. He then moved to Napoli, where he gained more consistent playing time as an attacking midfielder, escaping the presence of Bruno Fernandes and, before that, Paul Pogba, who had overshadowed him at United.
Scotland now has a savior. We’re fully ready to take them to the biggest major tournament.
And given how much he has progressed over the past 12-18 months, the World Cup could help with even more of McTominay’s masterclass.
