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Ex Manchester United Midfielder Scott McTominay Nominated For 2025 Ballon D’or After Departing Old Trafford Last Summer—-Scotland international Scott McTominay has been nominated for the 2025 Ballon d’Or after moving from Old Trafford last summer to join Napoli where he scored 16 goals in 48 matches to win the Scudetto.

Reports confirm that the 28-year-old is a candidate for the prestigious award previously won by legends like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Ballon d’Or is designed to honour the best footballer in the world and McTominay’s title win in Italy has earned him a nomination alongside some of the sport’s most illustrious names. Paris Saint-Germain’s Ousmane Dembele is among the favourites to win the award along with Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal.

The full list of nominees is due to be published tomorrow, 7 August, and the award ceremony will take place in Paris’ plush Théâtre du Châtelet on 22 September. McTominay played a key role in Napoli’s success last season, claiming 13 goals as they brought the Serie A title back to the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. It was the midfielder’s first year in Italy and he has already become an iconic figure among the passionate Napoli support.

Since leaving Manchester United last August, McTominay’s career has reached a different level. He was already popular among the Tartan Army for a string of dominant displays and important goals in a Scotland shirt. However, he has taken Italy by storm and is now one of the most dangerous players in Serie A.

The player credited Scotland coach Steve Clarke with helping to change his mindset last year as he struggled to get into the team at Old Trafford. “That was the camp where the manager and I sat down and he said that I didn’t look happy, that I didn’t look like I was smiling about the place,” said McTominay. “I thought: ‘Maybe he’s right.’ I went and spoke to my mum, my dad, my girlfriend at the time and they all pretty much said the same thing.

“Sometimes you just need to enjoy football and play with a smile on your face and take it easy. Not everything’s the end of the world if you’re not playing so well and you’re not in the team. Ever since that, I’ve just thought: ‘Let’s go for it.’ It was a weight lifted off my shoulders. It shows you that by speaking to someone – especially the manager because he’s honest and he’ll tell you up front – it can make a significant difference.

“He said he wanted to see the kid who was happy whenever he first came on the scene and was playing every week. He saw a boy who was smiling all the time. Now I look back and think: ‘Yeah, maybe sometimes the pressure and stuff like that can mount and you don’t realise it can affect you.’ You just need to take a step back and say: ‘Listen, let’s just play football, how it was as a kid and enjoy it.’”

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BREAKING: Victor Osimhen Stars As Nigeria Beat Algeria To Set Up Morocco Semi-Final Clash

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Nigeria Beat Algeria To Set Up Morocco Semi-Final Clash

BREAKING: Victor Osimhen Stars As Nigeria Beat Algeria To Set Up Morocco Semi-Final Clash—-The Super Eagles of Nigeria have qualified for the semi-final of the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.

The Super Eagles pulled off a stunning display to beat Algeria 2-0 in their quarter-final clash on Saturday evening, to book their spot.

Eric Chelle’s men dominated the Desert Foxes for most of the first half, but failed to find the back of the net.

The closest Nigeria came to opening the scoring, came when Calvin Bassey’s effort was cleared off the line.

But in the second half, Victor Osimhen headed in Bruno Onyemaechi’s cross, before setting up Akor Adams for the second goal.

The three-time African champions will now clash with the hosts Morocco for a place in the final.

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The Atlas Lions of Morocco Reaches AFCON 2025 Semis, As Indomitable Lions of Cameroon Bows Out

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Morocco Reaches AFCON 2025 Semis

The Atlas Lions of Morocco Reaches AFCON 2025 Semis, As Indomitable Lions of Cameroon Bows Out—-Brahim Diaz continued his remarkable Africa Cup of Nations scoring streak and Ismael Saibari added another as hosts Morocco saw off Cameroon 2–0 in a tense quarter-final on Friday, keeping their title dreams firmly on track.

Roared on by more than 64,000 fans in Rabat, Real Madrid winger Diaz got the crucial touch to Ayoub El Kaabi’s 26th-minute header at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium.

Diaz’s fifth goal in five games and a second-half strike from Saibari earned Morocco a deserved win and a semi-final meeting with the winner of Algeria vs Nigeria.

The semi-final is likely to present a much tougher challenge for Walid Regragui’s team than Cameroon, who had aimed to spring an upset after surpassing expectations by progressing this far despite a difficult build-up to the tournament.

Five-time African champions Cameroon were largely toothless in attack, with Manchester United forward Bryan Mbeumo kept quiet throughout.

Morocco, Africa’s top-ranked team and World Cup semi-finalists in 2022, are under enormous pressure to win the Cup of Nations in front of their own fans, half a century after their last continental title.

There have been doubts as to whether they can handle the weight of expectation, but they remain on course to achieve their objective –- it is the first time Morocco have reached the AFCON semi-finals since they lost the 2004 final to Tunisia.

The hosts were unchanged from their 1-0 last-16 win over Tanzania as they looked to continue an unbeaten record going back to their defeat by South Africa at the 2024 AFCON.

Fresh from knocking out South Africa in the last round here, Cameroon were clearly banking on frustrating Morocco as much as possible in an attempt to turn the crowd against the home side.

Morocco were beaten by the Cameroonians in the semi-finals the last time they hosted AFCON in 1988, but a repeat outcome never really looked likely.

David Pagou’s team were not helped by the early loss of right wing-back Jackson Tchamadeu, who tried to carry on after Noussair Mazraoui landed heavily on his knee before eventually being stretchered off.

Moments after that, Morocco scored. Achraf Hakimi sent in a corner from the right which was headed towards goal by El Kaabi at the near post, and the ball struck Diaz in the groin before going in.

That calmed a frenetic home support, who cheered their team off at the break after seeing Abde Ezzalzouli and El Kaabi come close to adding further goals.

Morocco were on top, and Cameroon’s response was to change formation after the break, from a back three to a 4-2-3-1, in an attempt to create more danger.

Ezzalzouli headed just over from a Hakimi corner, and then a cross by the Paris Saint-Germain star caused havoc in the Cameroon box as Samuel Kotto hooked the ball away from the line.

Mbeumo had appeals for a penalty dismissed by the Mauritanian referee before PSV Eindhoven’s Saibari fired in the killer second goal on 74 minutes after controlling Ezzalzouli’s dead-ball delivery, as Morocco march on to Wednesday’s semis.

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