'Silk-footed cuirassier': How the Italian media reacted as Scott McTominay edges Napoli towards Serie A title

Scott McTominay’s dream debut season in Italy continued at the weekend as he bagged a crucial brace to in Napoli’s 2-0 win over Torino to help them go top of Serie A at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.

The Scotland hero tapped home after just seven minutes to give Antonio Conte’s side the lead in Naples, before slamming home Matteo Politano’s cutback just before the half-time break to score his 11th goal of the season, breaking Denis Law’s 63-year record for the most goals scored by a Scotsman in a single Serie A season in the process.

Beginning the weekend locked on points with Inter Milan, a 1-0 defeat for their title rivals at home to AS Roma earlier in the day handed McTominay and international teammate Billy Gilmour, who started on the bench, the chance to open up a gap at the top of the league.

The Scottish star made sure his side didn’t waste the opportunity either, as he stole the show and helped his side move three points clear at the top of the Italian top flight on 74 points. With just four games remaining in the Serie A, the Tartan Army pair are now closing in on the Scudetto to cap off a hugely impressive season following their respective transfers from Manchester United and Brighton in the summer.

After another matchwinning performance from McTominay, we look at how the Italian media reacted to his performance, and season as a whole:

Scott McTominay celebrates after scoring his sides first goal during the Serie A match between Napoli and Torino at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. | Getty Images

Discussing the impact of his summer move to Napoli, and the impact he has had, Italian football website La Gazetta Dello Sport wrote: “When Napoli realized that Marco Brescianini, after having done his medical, was heading towards Bergamo (Atalanta) rather than Naples the summer [transfer window] became torrid. But erhaps it was written somewhere that in the darkness a light could be turned on.

“While Scott McTominay began to descend the steps of the plane that had taken him from Manchester United side to Capodichino, just like that, the voices died down, the smiles reappeared and the change was felt. McTominay arrived in Naples with an overflowing CV (nine seasons with United, 255 games) but a half-empty trophy cabinet: two League Cups, one FA Cup and one Europa League, all for a symbol who perhaps ended up with the “Red Devils” in the wrong era.

“McTominay is an encyclopedia of football, and in Naples he has shown something, disguising himself as a second striker (alongside Romelu Lukaku), as a midfielder, as a mezzala, as a winger and above all as a top-class striker. He already scored a brace against Empoli, but being insatiable he added another against Torino, bursting in like a vulture on soft trajectories for that silk-footed cuirassier.”

Tuttosport also praised ‘impressive’ McTominay, who now has five goals on his last three games, saying: “The Scotsman sealed three crucial points for the Azzurri who, at the key moment of the season, put themselves ahead of everyone and with the tricolor dream that now sees them as super favourites. Torino started with courage, but in the seventh minute Napoli took the lead when McTominay punished Milinkovic from two steps away.”

Il Corriere Dello Sport went even further, comparing McTominay to that of Napoli and Argentina legend Diego Maradona: “What planet did you come from? Maradona won't get angry from up there if we quote the question that the famous commentator Victor Hugo Morales asked the world when he saw him score the goal of the century at the World Cup in Mexico. Because whoever is watching Scott McTominay play is probably asking himself the same question. What planet did he come from? The man who is deciding the title fight comes from Scotland, but he looks like a Martian.

“Five goals in the last three games, eleven in the league, a devastating impact in Serie A. The risk of becoming the best player of the tournament, a cosmic barrel. Conte had stung his pride three weeks ago, had asked him for the goals to still believe in the dream. The answer was that of a champion, an absolute champion.”