Naples is a one-club city, yet with only a handful of pockets of real success in their history. They really idolise their heroes, most notably Maradona – who was part of their first two title wins – and whom their stadium is now named after.
McTominay will never reach those levels – nobody could – but he is still adored as much as a mere mortal can be.
McFratm – which roughly translates as McBro in Neapolitan slang – is his favourite nickname. But he has also been called McTerminator, MacGyver and apribottiglie (the bottle opener). Eight of his 12 goals have come with the score at 0-0.
“I saw the passionate fans, I saw the coach, I saw the players and I saw an opportunity,” McTominay told Scotland in December.
“I took it, I didn’t look back. It didn’t take me long to make the decision because I knew that was what I wanted and I’ll never have any regrets in my life. As soon as I put my mind to something I want to do it, that’s it. There’s no holding me back.
“I love this place, I love the fans, I love my team-mates.”
San Ciro’s restaurant in Edinburgh have a Scotland flag up with the words ‘Napoli. McTominay. Pizza. In that order’.
That says a lot for a pizza restaurant.
Brothers Ciro and Santo Sartore, who were born and raised in Scotland to Neapolitan parents, run the restaurant together.
About McTominay’s popularity, Ciro said: “In my opinion, it’s because of how well he has taken to Napoli.
“Napoli fans love when a player commits to the city, and him kissing the Napoli badge shows how much the love and appreciation means to him. Obviously, scoring a lot of goals helps too.”
A shrine emerged to McTominay in San Nicola a Nilo this month.
“Napoli fans could not be happier – he is the symbol of the attitude of this Napoli, with his intensity and sacrifice in every game,” added journalist Credendino.
“This is something the fans appreciate a lot, as they liked his kiss on the shirt in the match against Palermo in September and the fact he is learning Italian and even Neapolitan.”
And another way to make himself popular with Napoli and Italian fans? Praising their tomatoes.
McTominay told the Athletic, external recently: “Oh my goodness, the tomatoes. I never ate them at home, they’re just red water.
“Here, they actually taste like tomatoes. Now I eat them as a snack. I eat all the vegetables, all of the fruits. It is all so fresh. It’s incredible.”
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