The midfielder scored a spectacular overhead kick in Scotland's 4-2 win over Denmark to qualify for the 2026 World Cup on Tuesday evening.
It was another major moment in a career that has taken off over the last 18 months or so following his departure from Manchester United.
The 28-year-old won the Serie A in his first season with Napoli and has just played a pivotal role in Scotland qualifying for the World Cup for the first time in nearly 30 years.
That begs the question - were Manchester United wrong to sell McTominay?
A new lease of life in Naples
As mentioned, McTominay wasted no time in becoming an integral part of Napoli's 2024/25 title-winning team under manager Antonio Conte.
The Scot featured 34 times in the league and scored a career-best 13 goals in all competitions, mainly being used as part of a midfield trio.
While his impact stretched beyond just goals - with McTominay second in the entire division for duels won at 208 - his attacking form is undoubtedly what caught the eye.
And despite the impressive overall numbers, it was the hard-to-describe 'clutch' feeling that McTominay inspired.
The midfielder scored five winning goals in the 24/25 season and won Flashscore's Player of the Match award (achieving the highest rating) five times in the last seven Serie A games of the campaign.
That form helped Napoli to the title and earned McTominay the MVP (Most Valuable Player) award - essentially Italy's version of Player of the Season.
He already has four goals in all club competitions this season, and his performances have carried over into the national team, with two goals and an assist in Scotland's World Cup qualifying campaign.
Once again, McTominay answered the call when it mattered most during his nation's win over Denmark with a brilliant overhead kick.
With the 28-year-old hitting such heights in recent months, it's easy to forget that not long ago, he was judged not good enough for Manchester United.
Manchester United struggles
Manchester United have faced a tough time in recent years while still winning a couple of trophies along the way.
They finished an unprecedented 15th in the Premier League last season but have enjoyed some cup success in recent years.
In fact, McTominay played in United's 2-0 EFL Cup final win over Newcastle in 2023 and their 2-1 FA Cup victory against Manchester City in 2024.
There were even a few indicators of his potential value in big-occasion fixtures, particularly providing a goal and assist in their famous 4-3 FA Cup quarter-final win over Liverpool.
He also netted two late goals in a 2-1 win against Brentford, as well as twice in a victory over Chelsea.
Unfortunately, though, McTominay never quite progressed past an impact player.
Then-manager Erik ten Hag rarely handed the Scottish international a regular starting spot in the team and with the squad on the whole struggling, it proved difficult to consistently make a telling impact and force his way into the side.
McTominay was also trying to find a place in a midfield unit that consisted of United's best player in Bruno Fernandes, big-money arrival Casemiro and rapidly rising young star Kobbie Mainoo.
Therefore, it's difficult to say whether United made a mistake in selling the academy graduate.
Could McTominay have helped United?
McTominay departed for Italy towards the end of the 2024 summer transfer window, so he just missed out on being part of current manager Ruben Amorim's squad.
Looking back now, we know that was probably for the best, given their disastrous form last season.
His departure came four games into the 24/25 campaign, having not started a single match - again highlighting his inconsistent playing time.
McTominay went straight into Conte's 4-3-3 system at Napoli and hardly looked back from there, clearly a great fit occupying a more attacking role when his side had the ball.
That suggests things wouldn't have improved had he stayed and been part of Amorim's squad.
The Portuguese manager favours a significantly different formation that lacks an obvious spot for McTominay and his strengths - he could have been trialled as one of the number 10s, but the recent signings of Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha suggest a different type of player is preferred there.
While it's nice to think about what could have been, the fact is that McTominay's career at Manchester United had stalled completely, and there is little to suggest he would have developed into the player he is now had he stayed at the club.
It ultimately feels like a great decision from the player, not an entirely bad one from the club, who earned pure profit on an academy star to help with the Profit and Sustainability rules (PSR).
Things are even looking up for United now after an improvement in performances - both Cunha and Mbeumo have impressed in their attacking roles while Casemiro has steadily improved - and it appears to have been a welcome move for both parties, even if the Red Devils might not have felt that way during the last campaign.
