Scott McTominay Clinches SFWA International Player of the Year Award

Back-to-back winner becomes the first non-UK-based player to lift the accolade

The Scottish Football Writers’ Association (SFWA) has once again recognised Scott McTominay’s outstanding impact on the Scotland National Team, awarding him the 2025 SFWA International Player of the Year. This annual honor, awarded since 2008 by the SFWA (association of journalists in Scottish Football running for 60 years), acknowledges the player deemed to have made the best contribution over the previous season.

McTominay received the award at a ceremony at Hampden Park, marking his second consecutive win. While 2024 was obviously very poor for the national team overall, McTominay’s brilliance still shone through. He was the only Scotland player to score at the Euros - a goal that continued the trend of only “Mc” players scoring for us at the tournament - while also becoming the national side’s most-capped Euro player, jointly sharing the record of six appearances with eight other players from the 1990s and 2020s.

Reflecting on his achievement, Scott McTominay said: “It’s a team game but trophies like this make you feel very proud and privileged. My grandparents will be so proud of me winning this and to see them so grateful and happy is a great feeling”

Scotland’s form improved toward the end of 2024, with a draw and two victories that helped Scotland secure third place in their Nations League Group A. In a 2-1 defeat in Portugal in September, he registered what was his 10th goal in his previous 17 caps. His recent penalty winner in Athens elevated his tally to 12 international goals -bringing him just two strikes shy of joining the all-time top 10 Scottish goalscorers list.

McTominay is the 13th different player to win the SFWA International Player of the Year award but only the third to claim it twice. He is the first recipient to earn the honor while playing outside the UK, while only only four players have been given the award while playing at a Scottish club side.

The full list of winners over the past 18 seasons since the award’s inception in 2008: