Scott McTominay Discusses His Health Scare Ahead of Scotland’s World Cup Victory
Scott McTominay revealed he underwent treatment for an irregular heartbeat just two days before Scotland secured a World Cup win over Haiti in June.
The Napoli midfielder recently underwent an ablation procedure in Manchester. This minimally invasive surgery aimed to rectify his heart rhythms.
During the World Cup, the 29-year-old was put to sleep for the procedure and received medical clearance to participate in the opening match, where Scotland triumphed 1-0 against Haiti in Massachusetts.
“I had to go and get the shock on my heart,” McTominay disclosed, noting that he also played the full 90 minutes in subsequent matches against Morocco and Brazil.
“It was two days before the Haiti game. You’ve prepared so well. I was in such good condition and then something like that happens. You’re thinking, ‘how is this happening to me?’
“You have to get on with it; that’s the cards that you’re dealt in football. Sometimes, things don’t go your way.
“I was 100% [fit], but obviously, whenever you’re sat in a hospital bed two days before the first game of the World Cup about to get put to sleep, it’s not ideal, is it?”
McTominay expressed gratitude towards his club and the medical professionals who treated him in the autumn.
Although he missed Scotland’s first four Nations League matches – which included a win, a draw, and two losses – he has been recalled to the squad after making his return to domestic and Champions League play with Napoli.
Sebastien Pocognoli’s team will play North Macedonia at home on Friday and face Switzerland away on Monday.
“Yeah, I’m good,” McTominay affirmed. “I’m feeling much, much better than what I was. I feel like it was something that needed to be done. In your career, you have moments like that where things can take you a bit by surprise.
“Obviously, it looks a lot worse to people in the media and family and friends who reach out to you after they see news related to a heart issue, but it’s a relatively straightforward procedure, which went really, really well in Manchester.
“So just really happy to be back and playing football again. That’s the most important thing in my life and it always will be in terms of wanting to come back and prove myself again and making sure that I can go to another level.”
McTominay added: “For me, it’s always about coming back stronger.
“No matter how well you play in one game, it’s about the next game and pushing yourself and recovering well and eating the right things, sleeping correctly throughout your career.”
