Scott McTominay's 'incredible' meeting with Pope Leo XIV as Napoli star awed by 'iconic' moment
Fresh from his title triumph with Napoli, Scotland talisman Scott McTominay found himself shaking hands with Pope Leo XIV.
It is the type of meeting dreams are made of - and for Scotland star Scott McTominay, it has cemented his surging popularity in his adopted home of Italy.
Fresh from winning the Serie A title with Napoli on Friday, McTominay, 28, experienced the ultimate ‘pinch-me’ moment, shaking hands with Pope Leo XIV during a meeting at the Vatican on Tuesday.
The Pope joked about his own football allegiances in welcoming the team, led by captain and Italy international Giovanni Di Lorenzo, making up Italy’s newly crowned champions.
The meeting followed joyous scenes that had spilled through Napoli after Gli Azzurri defeated Cagliari 2-0 at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona under manager Antonio Conte to pip Internazionale to the post in the race for the Scudetto.
It is only the fourth time Napoli have become champions of Italy.
McTominay, the Scotland talisman named player of the season after a hugely successful switch from Manchester United to Napoli, arrived for their papal audience a day after a triumphant open-top bus parade through the centre of his adopted home city.
Describing the experience of meeting the Pope, McTominay said in video post on Instagram: “It was incredible to be honest seeing everything, and the Pope was just, it was incredible.
“So we’re so, so grateful and thankful for his wonderful words about the team and Naples and yeah, we’re so happy.”
McTominay added: “We said hello and obviously respected being in his presence and he just thanked us for being the champions of Italy, which was incredible to hear that.
“He’s such an iconic man. So for us to meet the Pope was just incredible.”
Conte, who was introduced to the Pope as “deeply Catholic”, knelt down and kissed Leo’s hand during the meeting.
The Pope said, according to a transcript: “The press says I am an AS Roma fan, but you are welcome! This is what the press says. Not everything you read in the press is true.”
During the meeting, the pontiff spoke of the importance of team spirit and sport’s educational value. He added: “The championship is won by the team, and when I say ‘team’ I mean the players, the coach with the whole squad, and the club.”
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.