How did "Snatcher" McTominay become a legend in Naples?

This article is compiled from BBC News, Emlyn Begley

Scott McTominay has had a huge influence in Naples since he moved from Manchester United to Naples last summer, and he instantly became the darling of fans of the Italian city with a crazi football atmosphere.

He was just named Serie A Player of April - the first Scotsman to win the honor - and he scored five goals in April.

Nepoli journalist Vincenzo Credendino said: "He is a raider, not a builder."

No wonder his coach Ole Solskjaer, who was previously at Old Trafford, said in a recent interview with BBC Sports: "I really can't think of how to praise Scott."

But how did the 28-year-old win the favor and admiration of Napoli fans so quickly and become such a key member of Antonio Conte's championship team?

How did this transfer happen?

Lancaster-born McTominay played for more than 20 years at Manchester United – he first entered the club’s football school when he was five – until he left this summer.

The two sides reached an agreement and McTominay left the team for £25.7 million. He is eager to change the environment, and the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules (PSR) also make the deal reasonable for Manchester United.

He also joined Naples on the same day that Scottish teammate Billy Gilmore moved from Brighton to Naples for £12 million.

But this transfer almost failed. Another midfielder, Marco Brescianini, was undergoing a medical examination in Naples and seemed to be about to transfer from Frosinone.

But suddenly, the Italian international joined Atlanta on loan with a buyout clause, while Naples signed McTominay.

There are different opinions on the ins and outs of things. Some say Brescianini chose Atlanta, some say Naples pulled out of the deal after McTominay became an optional target, and others say Frosinone tried to change the deal.

No matter what happened, Naples has achieved good results.

"McTominay is the ideal choice for Conte" - his path to success in Naples

McTominay scored 11 goals in 31 Serie A games for Naples and another goal in the Italian Cup.

Of those 11 league goals, five were scored in April, which was enough to win him the Player of the Month Award.

This also tied him with AC Milan's Christian Pulisic as the midfielder with the most goals in the Serie A this season.

By comparison, he scored only 19 goals in 178 Premier League games at Manchester United.

His success stems from playing more of an offensive midfielder role in Conte's team. He played defensive midfielder for most of his time at Manchester United and Scotland.

Credendino said: "Conte changed the tactical system and created the best conditions for him to play."

In Conte's system, he was not a builder, but a predator - he was the best choice when he had a No. 9 player like Romelu Lukaku, who contributed a lot to the team today and played a big role.

Before this weekend's game, McTominay was one of only two midfielders to touch more than 100 times in the opposing penalty area, the other being Pulisic. His confrontation success rate in Serie A is also among the best.

Credendino added: "You can compare McTominay to those big-name midfielders in Conte's coaching career. Claudio Marchisio and Arturo Vidal scored nine goals and 10 goals respectively in Juventus' first two seasons (2011-12 and 2012-13)."

It's no coincidence. McTominay is perfect for Conte, just as Conte is perfect for McTominay.

With three games left, Napoli leads second-ranked Inter Milan with three points, and they are striving to win the fourth championship in team history.

At 17:00 on Sunday (BST), the Champions League final team Inter Milan will challenge Turin away, while Napoli will face Genoa at 19:45. Before that game, McTominay will receive the April Player of the Year Award.

Why do fans like him?

Naples is a city with only one club, with only a handful of truly successful periods in its history. Their worship of heroes is supreme, the most famous of which is Diego Maradona.

"McTerminator", "MacGyver", "apribottiglie" and "McFratm" are some other nicknames given to Mike Tominay this season by fans.

He said that "McFratum"—a roughly equivalent to "Brother Mike" in Naples slang—is his favorite, and a fan recently tattooed the name on his legs with McTominay's No. 8.

There are cakes for McTominay's birthday, and online memes that portray him as the new pope.

"I saw enthusiastic fans, coaches, players, and opportunities," McTominay said in a December interview with BBC Scotland.

I accepted it, and didn't look back. I quickly made a decision because I knew that was what I wanted and that I would never have any regrets in my life. Once I make up my mind to do something, it's settled, nothing can stop me.

"I like this place, I like fans, I like my teammates."

The San Siro restaurant in Edinburgh hung a Scottish flag with the words "Napoli. McTominay. Pizza. In this order".

This means a lot to a pizza restaurant. The brothers Siro and Santo Satore were born and raised in Scotland to Naples and run the restaurant together.

Regarding the reason why McTominay is popular, Siro said: "In my opinion, it is because he adapted well to Naples."

Nepoli fans like that players are loyal to the city, and his move to kiss the Naples team logo shows that this love and appreciation is of great significance to him. Of course, it's good to score a lot of goals.

A small shrine commemorating McTominay appeared in the Church of St. Nicholas Nile this week.

"Napoli fans were simply happy - he is a symbol of the attitude of this Naples team, and he was doing his best in every game and sacrificed at will." reporter Claydendino added.

"This is a point that fans love, they like his behavior of kissing his jersey in September against Palermo, and he is learning Italian, even the Naples dialect."

And what is another way he makes himself popular among Naples and Italian fans? Tomatoes that praise them are a good choice.

"Here, they taste really like tomatoes. Now I eat them as snacks. All the vegetables, all the fruits I eat. Everything is so fresh. It's incredible."