JOHN Swinney has congratulated two Scottish footballers on their Ballon d’Or nominations.
Scott McTominay, midfielder for Italian side Napoli and the Scotland national team, is the first male player to be nominated for the prestigious award since Ally McCoist in 1987.
Caroline Weir is now the first Scot to ever be nominated for the Ballon d’Or Féminin after scoring 10 goals for Real Madrid’s women’s team.
Swinney took to Twitter/X to congratulate the pair, saying: “Congratulations to two of Scotland’s global superstars, Scott McTominay and Caroline Weir, on their nominations for the Ballon d'Or – the most prestigious individual award in football.”
🏴⚽️ Congratulations to two of Scotland’s global superstars, Scott McTominay and Caroline Weir, on their nominations for the Ballon D’or - the most prestigious individual award in football. #NoScotlandNoParty
— John Swinney (@JohnSwinney) August 7, 2025
Weir, who also plays for the Scotland women’s team, is nominated alongside English Euro 2025 winners Leah Williamson, Lucy Bronze, and Chloe Kelly.
Meanwhile, McTominay faces competition from the likes of Declan Rice, Mohamed Salah, and Kylian Mbappe.
The award was started in 1956 by French magazine France Football and honours the player deemed to have performed the best in the previous season.
Previous winners include the likes of Lionel Messi, George Best, Zinedine Zidane, and Dennis Law.
The Ballon d’Or Féminin was launched in 2018 – though it has faced criticism for the timing of the event.
In 2023 and 2024, the ceremony was held during the women’s international break, meaning the majority of nominees were unable to attend.
Arsenal and Scotland star Jen Beattie previously criticised the event being held during the break, saying: “Beyond disappointing that the Ballon d'Or was held during a women’s international break making it pretty impossible for most of the nominees to even attend. Do better.”
It also doesn’t offer three other prestigious awards which are up for grabs in the men’s Ballon d’Or: the Yashin Trophy for best goalkeeper; the Kopa Trophy for best player under 21; and the Gerd Muller award for most goals scored.
This year’s ceremony will take place on September 22 in the Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris.
