Football awards are usually pretty predictable. You look at the top scorer, you look at who won the league, and you call it a day. But the Serie A Footballer of the Year award is different. It’s got this weird, prestigious history where the players themselves—not just a panel of suits or a bunch of algorithms—get to decide who actually ran the show.
Honestly, the 2024–25 season felt like a fever dream for most Italian football fans. If you’d told a Manchester United supporter two years ago that Scott McTominay would move to Naples, win a Scudetto, and then be crowned the best player in Italy by his own peers, they’d have laughed you out of the room. Yet, here we are in 2026, and "McFratm" (as the locals call him) is the reigning king of the Gran Galà del Calcio.
The Most Recent King: Scott McTominay’s 2025 Takeover
It's rare for a foreign player to come in and just... dominate the culture of a club so fast. When McTominay joined Napoli for roughly $33 million back in 2024, people thought it was a decent bit of business for a workhorse midfielder. But under Antonio Conte, he turned into a goal-scoring machine.
He didn't just play well; he was decisive. In the 2024–25 season, McTominay bagged 12 goals and 6 assists. What’s even crazier is that eight of those goals broke 0–0 deadlocks. He wasn't just stat-padding in 4–0 blowouts. He was the guy who opened the door when it was locked tight.
By December 2025, at the glamorous ceremony in Milan, he was officially named the Serie A Footballer of the Year. He became the first-ever Scottish player to win it. Think about that for a second. In a list that includes Kaka, Zinedine Zidane, and Cristiano Ronaldo, you now have a lad from Lancaster who represents Scotland. It's wild, but that’s the beauty of this specific award. It rewards the player who has the most profound impact on the league's narrative.
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Why There Are Actually Two "Best Player" Awards
This is where most people get tripped up. If you Google "Serie A player of the year," you’re going to find two different winners for the same season. It’s confusing, I know.
Basically, you have:
- The Lega Serie A MVP: This is the "official" award from the league itself. It’s heavily based on advanced stats and tracking data. It’s usually handed out right on the pitch at the end of the season.
- The AIC Serie A Footballer of the Year (Gran Galà del Calcio): This is the one that actually matters to the players. It’s organized by the Italian Footballers’ Association. It’s the Italian version of the PFA Player of the Year. It’s a vote by the players, coaches, and referees.
In May 2025, McTominay won the League MVP. Then, in December 2025, he completed the set by winning the AIC Footballer of the Year. Usually, the same person wins both, but not always. For instance, back in the 2024 season, Lautaro Martínez was the undisputed heavy hitter. He was the Capocannoniere (top scorer) and led Inter to their 20th title. He won the AIC award for 2024 because, frankly, there wasn't a defender in Italy who could keep him quiet.
A Legacy of Absolute Legends
You can't talk about the Serie A Footballer of the Year without mentioning the guys who made it iconic. Before the modern era of McTominay and Lautaro, this award was the "Oscar del Calcio."
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Juventus has historically owned this trophy, with 12 winners total. But look at the individuals:
- Andrea Pirlo: The only man to win it three times in a row (2012, 2013, 2014). He basically treated the Serie A midfield like his personal living room.
- Zlatan Ibrahimović: Also a three-time winner, but he did it with two different clubs (Inter and AC Milan). Typical Zlatan.
- Gianluigi Buffon: The only goalkeeper to ever win the overall award (2017). That tells you everything you need to know about how good he was, even in the twilight of his career.
Recent Winners at a Glance
- 2025: Scott McTominay (Napoli)
- 2024: Lautaro Martínez (Inter Milan)
- 2023: Victor Osimhen (Napoli)
- 2022: Rafael Leão (AC Milan)
- 2021: Romelu Lukaku (Inter Milan)
- 2019 & 2020: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus)
The "McTominay Effect" and the Midfield Renaissance
For a long time, this award was a "Strikers Only" club. From 2018 to 2024, it was almost always a forward—Ronaldo, Lukaku, Leão, Osimhen, Lautaro.
But 2025 signaled a shift. The Italian game has become more about tactical fluidity and "box-to-box" monsters. Tijjani Reijnders at Milan was a finalist for a reason. Nicolo Barella is always in the conversation. But McTominay won because he was the perfect bridge between Conte’s defensive discipline and a clinical attack. He effectively ended the era where you had to score 25 goals to be considered the best.
What to Watch for in 2026
As we sit here in early 2026, the race for the next Serie A Footballer of the Year is already heating up. Napoli is trying to defend their crown, but Inter is right on their heels.
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If you're looking to track who might win next, pay attention to the "Player of the Month" awards. They usually act as a breadcrumb trail. For example, Kenan Yıldız at Juventus picked up the August 2025 award, and Christian Pulisic snagged September. These are the guys building the resume for the big year-end gala.
Honestly, keep an eye on Pulisic. He's been the standout star for Milan this season. If he leads them to a trophy, we might see the first American win the AIC award. It would be another historic "first," much like McTominay’s Scottish breakthrough.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Bettors
If you’re trying to predict the next winner or just want to sound smart at the pub, keep these three things in mind:
- Scudetto Weight: The winner almost always comes from the team that wins the league. Since 2011, only a handful of players (like Icardi in 2018) have won without the trophy.
- The "Vibe" Check: Because this is voted on by players, "likability" and respect matter. McTominay’s humility and work rate at Napoli won him a lot of votes from opponents who had to chase him for 90 minutes.
- Big Game Moments: One goal against Juventus or Inter is worth five goals against a bottom-table side in the eyes of the voters.
The Serie A Footballer of the Year remains the ultimate stamp of approval in Italian football. It’s not just about the stats; it’s about who made the other 21 guys on the pitch feel like they were playing a different game.
To keep up with the current race, you should check the official Lega Serie A stats page monthly to see who is leading in "Big Chances Created" and "Decisive Goals"—those are the hidden metrics that the AIC voters tend to value most. Over the next few weeks, watch how the top teams handle the European schedule, as fatigue in the Champions League often separates the true "Footballers of the Year" from the one-hit wonders.