Scottish Football Personality of the Year 2025

Scottish Football Personality of the Year 2025

On Thursday, 18 December, the BBC will crown its Sports Personality of the Year for 2025. One notable absentee from the shortlist: Scott McTominay.

Despite a remarkable year for both club and country, the midfielder failed to make the BBC’s shortlist, which includes Rory McIlroy (golf), Luke Littler (darts), Lando Norris (F1), Ellie Kildunne (rugby union), and Hannah Hampton and Chloe Kelly (both football). All would be worthy winners after outstanding years in their respective fields. However, given McTominay’s central role in Napoli’s Serie A title win and Scotland’s qualification for the FIFA World Cup, his omission feels particularly glaring.

That got us thinking: if Scottish football had its own Personality of the Year award for 2025, who would win it? The nominees are:

John McGinn

While McTominay, McLean, Tierney and Shankland grabbed the headlines for their historic goals against Denmark, John McGinn’s contribution to Scotland’s World Cup qualification was no less vital. The only player to feature every minute of the qualifying campaign, his leadership, intensity and relentless energy underpinned the entire run.

At club level, McGinn captained Aston Villa to the Champions League quarter-finals in their first appearance in the competition since 1982/83. Against eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain, he produced a standout performance, scoring and assisting as Villa came agonisingly close to forcing extra time after trailing by four goals on aggregate.

This season, Villa’s progress has continued domestically, with McGinn continuing to impress as the Villans have established themselves in the race for the Premier League title.

Scott McTominay

Perhaps one of the most talked about football players in the world this year, Scott McTominay has taken his career to stratospheric levels of success in 2025 following masterful displays for Napoli en route to the Serie A title and I Partenopei’s fourth scudetto in their history. The result is that McTominay, or McFratm, as he is affectionately known to Neopolitans, is seen in almost as high regard as Diego Armando Maradona.

However, it is not only in Naples that the goal-scoring midfielder is revered. In Scotland, McTominay achieved hero status in November when his sky-high bicycle kick propelled our nation to our first World Cup Finals in 28 years.

Thanks to his performances for both club and country, McTominay is largely considered as one of the best midfielders in world football and has received countless individual honours as a result. After registering 12 goals and 6 assists in Napoli’s title-winning season, McTominay was awarded Serie A Player of the Season and was nominated for the Ballon d’Or, where he claimed 18th place.

Caroline Weir

McFratm wasn’t the only Scot to be nominated for the Ballon d’Or this year. Real Madrid and Dunfermline’s Caroline Weir became the first Scottish woman to be nominated for the Ballon d’Or Féminin, where she finished 30th at the awards ceremony. This was in recognition of her performances for Real Madrid, where she bounced back from injury to become the club’s all-time leading scorer following her 40th strike in a 3-0 victory against Real Sociedad in March. Her performances in Liga F in 2024/25 also earned her a place in the Team of the Season.

Perhaps her highlight of the year might have been her Dunfermline homecoming, where she captained and scored for her country at the home of her beloved Dunfermline Athletic. Unfortunately, her performance – which included a world-class assist for Kathleen McGovern - wasn’t enough to prevent Scotland from succumbing to a 4-3 loss but the experience will live long in her memory, without doubt.

Kim Little

Mintlaw’s midfield maestro has had a stellar year – even by her world-class standards – having captained Arsenal to Champions League glory, beating Barcelona 1-0 in the final in May.

Little, who retired from international duty in 2021 after amassing 140 appearances and scoring 59 goals, captained her side to a respectable second-place finish in the WSL and was selected in the PFA WSL Team of the Year 2025.

Alan Trouten

The East Fife attacker turned 40 in November and showed no signs of slowing down in 2025 as he earned promotion to League One, earning his place in PFA Scotland’s League 2 Team of the Year 2025. With 28 goals in all competitions last season, Trouten proved himself to be perhaps the most influential player in the SPFL. This is despite him surviving a freak accident at the end of 2024 where a routine trip to the dentist led to him losing five pints of blood and receiving crucial treatment in hospital.

The former Alloa, Brechin, and Ayr player has had a difficult start to this season in League One after sustaining a calf injury that ruled him out for 3 months, but there is no denying his impact at the start of the year, earning his place on this shortlist.

Erin Cuthbert

A WSL title, an FA Cup, a League Cup, and a second successive selection in the PFA WSL Team of the Year underline Erin Cuthbert’s outstanding contribution to Chelsea’s historic treble-winning campaign.

The Scotland midfielder has remained a key figure this season as Chelsea sit second in the WSL and third in the UEFA Champions League.

Andy Robertson

Due to Liverpool’s summer spending spree, the flying left-back has found starts and minutes hard to come by for his club this season. However, it has been a year that the Scotland captain will never forget, leading his country to the World Cup Finals for the first time this millennium and securing his second Premier League trophy with Liverpool.

Steve Clarke’s trusted lieutenant played almost every minute of Scotland’s World Cup qualification campaign, registering two assists against Belarus and Greece. And despite playing second fiddle to summer signing Milos Kerkez at club level for much of this season, Robertson has reminded Arne Slot and Liverpool fans of his importance to the team with performances like that in Liverpool’s win against Real Madrid in the Champions League in November.

Brad Spencer

The Falkirk captain has had a stellar year. From the heart of the Bairns’ midfield, he drove his team on to a second successive league title and promotion to the Premiership for the first time since the 2009/10 season.

Despite playing in the top tier for the first time in his career at 29 years old, Spencer has continued to impress, playing a key role in Falkirk’s strong start to life back among Scotland’s elite.

And the winner is…

Scott McTominay

Who else? While each nominee enjoyed an exceptional 2025, few players in world football – let alone Scottish football - reached the heights McTominay reached this year (quite literally – his overhead kick was measured at 2.53 m above the ground, the highest recorded bicycle kick in football history).

Whether scoring scissor kicks at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium to win the Scudetto, suited and booted at Wimbledon, or sending his nation to the World Cup with an overhead kick, McTominay delivered moments that will be replayed for generations.

Now all we ask is that he does it again in 2026 and scores the goal that sends Scotland through to the knockout stages of the World Cup for the first time ever. If he does, can someone make sure they tell him where his mum is, please?