Napoli won two trophies in a calendar year for the first time since 1990, with help from former Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay and striker Rasmus Hjølund, who is on loan at the Red Devils.
Antonio Conte followed the lead of two former Old Trafford stars who helped Napoli follow in the footsteps of Diego Maradona and win the Italian Supercoppa at Manchester United. The former Chelsea and Spurs manager led the southern giants to the Scudetto in the first season of 2024-25 alongside top scorer Romelu Lukuku.
And now Scott McTominay and Rasmus Heilund – on loan after the Belgian suffered a thigh injury in pre-season – starred in the 2-0 win over Bologna in Saudi Arabia. The Scotland star scored 13 goals from midfield and was named Serie A Player of the Year after being sold by United for £25.7m in August 2024.
And Hojlund, who paid a £72m move to the Old Trafford club, returned to Italy and scored seven goals as Napoli won the Scudetto and Supercoppa in the same year for the first time since 1990 with Maradona. The Dane posted a photo of himself holding the trophy on social media with the caption: “What a great decision.”
“Everyone was saying Rasmus wasn’t playing in Manchester, McTominay wasn’t playing, so why? So ask yourself some questions. The staff and I had a job to do. After all, we’re here for a reason.”
Former Premier League stars Kevin De Bruyne, Andre Franck Zambo Anguissa and Billy Gilmour were all sidelined with injuries, but Brazilian David Neres scored both goals for Saudi Arabia. Conte added: “The first goal was a personal moment of magic, but all the other chances were prepared by analyzing how to cause problems for Bologna.”
read more: Scott McTominay tackles Manchester United ‘myths’ he was told about himself after rising to superstardom with Napoliread more: Rasmus Højlund harshly criticizes Manchester United and Ruben Amorim after Napoli’s success
“Our job as coaches is to increase our players’ knowledge and make them stronger. I feel like everyone I’ve worked with has improved not only in their tactical understanding and movement, but also mentally.”
Conte, who won the Premier League and FA Cup with Chelsea, lifted his 10th major trophy but admitted afterwards that he was motivated by past failures. “What I can say is that no one bothers to look up the defeated finalists, because as a player and as a coach I lost a lot of players and they made me even meaner,” said the former Italy national team head coach.
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“No one remembers that I was runner-up in the World Cup, that I was a European Championship finalist or that I lost three Champions League finals. They remember that as a player I won one Champions League and one Intercontinental Cup.
“When you lose in the final, you become more determined and you don’t want to go through that ugly moment again. It hurts because you know it was a good journey, but you have to put that cherry on top of the cake.”
President Aurelio De Laurentiis said: “Not since the Maradona era have we won two trophies in one year. Conte is a master.”
This latest victory comes just six weeks after Napoli lost 2-0 to Bologna in Serie A, with Conte launching a scathing attack on his players before missing training. “We have to do something,” he said. “I don’t want to accompany a dead person.”
However, although they are in 23rd place in the Champions League, they will enter 2026 in 3rd place in Serie A.
Former England manager Fabio Capello told Gazzetta dello Sport: “Let’s not joke. What a crisis. Napoli have good players, Conte has a winning manager and now Lukaku and the other injured players are back.”
“Winning in the Supercoppa will be very important for the players’ mentality. It will be a psychological turning point and it will give them a boost in the league.”
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