Radja Nainggolan Criticizes Scott McTominay’s Performance
Former Roma midfielder Radja Nainggolan has made a bold statement about former Manchester United player Scott McTominay, calling the Scottish midfielder “average” despite his recent success in Serie A. McTominay, 29, has found a new lease of life since moving to Napoli in 2024 for a £25.7 million fee, which initially surprised many fans.
Since joining Napoli, McTominay has been instrumental in the team’s success, winning the league’s Player of the Season award last season as he helped Napoli secure the title. He has also scored 26 goals in nearly two seasons with the club. However, these achievements have not impressed Nainggolan, who believes that McTominay lacks the technical ability to build play effectively.
“I don’t like him,” Nainggolan told Sky Calcio Unplugged. “He scores a lot of goals, but in general play… he’ll always get 12, 13, 14 goals, but if he has to build play he doesn’t have the technique to operate between the lines. He’s an average player.”
Nainggolan is no stranger to expressing his opinions, and during his prime, he clearly believed in his own abilities. While still playing for Patro Eisden in the second tier of Belgian football, he compared himself to some of the top players in the game.
“At my peak I was better than him (McTominay) and Hakan Calhanoglu, but I put Nicolo Barella above myself,” he continued. “He doesn’t always score many goals, but when he does they are important, and you can always feel the difference when he plays. I really like Kevin De Bruyne, he sees things others don’t. I’d put him above me. And if you mention Luka Modric… he has always been one of the best in the world.”
In 2024, Nainggolan criticized his country’s ‘Golden Generation’ for having ‘too many divas’ while regularly coming up short during international tournaments. The 37-year-old was part of what many consider Belgium’s best ever squad, which has gradually fallen apart after failing to make a single major final during a period when they had some of the world’s best players.
“We had Lukaku, Hazard, De Bruyne, Courtois. When you put all these players together, there are too many protagonists, too many divas. They all wanted to be protagonists, to be the most important player, and that can’t work.”
In 2022, Nainggolan faced legal trouble when he was arrested for driving with an expired license and was seen smoking an e-cigarette on the bench before a match. Last year, he was charged with participation in a criminal organization as part of a probe into cocaine trafficking, according to the Brussels public prosecutor’s office. The prosecutor’s office stated that Nainggolan was released on conditions, with his next court date yet to be determined.
