Jose Mourinho Shares What He Told Scott McTominay After Napoli Loss To Benfica
The 'Special One' is a huge fan of the Napoli lynchpin.
Giuseppe Labellarte
Updated on 12 December 2025
Benfica head coach Jose Mourinho spoke highly of Napoli midfielder Scott McTominay after Wednesday’s Champions League encounter between the two sides.
Jose Mourinho says the ‘next McTominays’ helped Benfica beat Napoli
Benfica picked up their second win of their Champions League season as Mourinho’s side ran out 2-0 winners over Antonio Conte’s Napoli.
Richard Rios opened the scoring on 20 minutes with a flick at the near post before Leandro Barreiro added a second early in the second half.
McTominay, who has been a revelation for Napoli since his move from Manchester United, struggled on the night.
Mourinho is very close to the Scotland international, having given him his debut at Old Trafford when both were on the books.
And speaking after the game, the Portuguese revealed what he had said to McTominay.
“I told McTominay that the kids I put on in the last few minutes are the next McTominays,” Mourinho told reporters.
“The last one who came on (Jose Neto), I’m sure he will make history.”
Neto, a 17-year-old left-back, replaced Leandro Barreiro in injury time.
Meanwhile, 18-year-old midfielder Tiago Freitas took the place of Fredrik Aursnes.
What Jose Mourinho thinks of Scott McTominay
McTominay has come a very long way since his Manchester United days.
The 29-year-old starred for Napoli en route to the 2025/26 Serie A title and also helped Scotland qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
McTominay also won the Serie A Footballer of the Year award this month, the first Scottish player to do so.
Mourinho, speaking at his post-match press conference, revealed that he had McTominay’s match jersey with him.
“The bag is mine,” he said, when asked about the contents of his bag. “It’s McTominay’s shirt. I gave him his debut.
“I benched Pogba to let him play (at Man United). The least he could do was give me the shirt.”
Mourinho revealed that McTominay was understandably sad following Napoli’s loss, before singing the Scot’s praises.
“He was sad because he lost,” said Mourinho. “That’s Scott, that’s the nature of winning players.
“He chatted with me for five minutes, but he lost, and he was sad.
“But he’s very happy in Naples. Winning the award for best foreign player is absolutely fantastic, it qualifies Scotland for the World Cup after so many years.
“He’s having a really, really good time.
“He gave Manchester United a real boost, and there’s a connection with him. When he’s 70, he’ll still remember me.”
The jury was often out on McTominay at Manchester United – including criticism from Gary Neville – but he has certainly silenced his doubters.
Giuseppe Labellarte
Giuseppe Labellarte is a sports journalist with over a decade of professional experience in the industry. His main professional expertise is in soccer. Prior to joining FootItalia, he worked for the likes of Sports Mole, TBR Football, the Chelsea Chronicle and numerous other sites, along with having bylines in the likes of the Nottingham Post. He holds degrees in Journalism and International Relations.
Our unbiased editorial policy
Despite ongoing collaborations with commercial affiliates, the details, information, and reviews we provide remain honest and unbiased. We keep this in check by implementing a stringent editorial policy.
Our policy implements strict editorial standards, ensuring the integrity and trustworthiness of our articles, news, and reviews. Only the highest-quality content reaches our pages. We achieve this through conducting thorough research on each topic, conveyed to you using unbiased reporting, to ensure we earn your trust and keep it.
