Senegal’s Pape Gueye was named the best African player in La Liga for 2025/26 at a ceremony in Lagos, leaving Nigeria’s Akor Adams and Chidera Ejuke to settle for recognition without the prize.
Villarreal midfielder Pape Gueye claimed the 2025/26 La Liga African MVP award on Sunday, May 24, beating Super Eagles forwards Akor Adams and Chidera Ejuke to the prize at an official LALIGA Africa event held in Lagos. The Senegal international secured 38 per cent of the total votes to finish comfortably clear of Athletic Bilbao’s Inaki Williams, who took second place with 24 per cent of the ballot.
The result ends Ghana’s back-to-back dominance of the award. Williams had won the last two editions, and many expected a strong Nigerian challenge this season given the performances of Adams and Ejuke at Sevilla. But it was Gueye’s all round impact, including helping Villarreal reach the UEFA Champions League for the second consecutive year, that proved the difference for voters.
What Adams and Ejuke Brought to the Table
Adams had arguably his best La Liga campaign since joining Sevilla from Montpellier. The 25 year old ended the season as Nigeria’s top scorer in Europe’s five major leagues, registering 10 league goals and three assists in 32 appearances. His late season strikes against Atletico Madrid, Espanyol and Villarreal were crucial as the Andalusian side navigated a nervy run-in to avoid relegation danger. Nigerian fans tracking how La Liga’s top sides close out their seasons can check out the Bet9ja’s current promo code ahead of the final round of fixtures.
Ejuke played a different but equally important role. The winger came off the bench in 27 matches across the season, contributing one goal and one assist while offering the direct running that Sevilla needed to unlock compact defences. His most memorable moment came in Sevilla’s 4-1 win over Barcelona, a result that lifted the mood inside the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan considerably. That two Nigerians from the same club made the shortlist speaks to how far Sevilla have leaned on their Nigerian contingent this term.
Gueye’s Ceremony Speech
Gueye collected the award at a glamorous event in Lagos that drew several football personalities including former Barcelona midfielder Alex Song and ex-Cameroon international Geremi Njitap. The Senegalese midfielder was visibly moved when he stepped up to receive the honour.
“It’s a real source of pride, and an honour, to be named the best African player in LALIGA,” Gueye told the audience. “It’s the first individual award of my career, and it means a lot to me because in everything I achieve, I’m also representing all of Senegal. Right now at Villarreal I’m experiencing the best moment of my career.” New fans wanting to follow La Liga’s African stars next season can get a head start with Bet9ja’s sign-up bonus before the new campaign kicks off in August.
A Season Built on Consistency
Gueye, who turned 27 in January, joined Villarreal on a free transfer from Marseille in July 2024 and signed a four-year deal. He was born in Montreuil, France, and represented France at under 18 and under 19 level before switching allegiance to Senegal at senior level. His decision to represent the Lions of Teranga has been vindicated at every turn since.
This season he recorded four goals and two assists across 23 appearances for Villarreal, functioning as the engine room in a side that earned Champions League football. He also played a starring role for Senegal at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, scoring three goals in six games as the Lions mounted a run to the latter stages of the tournament.
Nigeria’s La Liga History with the Award
The loss stings given Nigeria’s record with this prize. Samuel Chukwueze won the award in 2023 after a brilliant season at Villarreal that included 13 goals and 11 assists across all competitions, capped by a famous two goal performance in a 3-2 win over Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu. Before Chukwueze, Yassine Bounou of Morocco and Inaki Williams of Ghana had each claimed the award. Villarreal winger Nicolas Pepe of Ivory Coast finished third in this year’s vote. Fans eager to back Nigerian stars in next season’s La Liga campaign can also grab the Bet9ja promotion code before the window opens.
For Adams and Ejuke, the season was far from a failure. Adams in particular proved he belongs at this level after years of questions about whether he could be Sevilla’s main striker. Ten league goals in a season where Sevilla were fighting relegation for long stretches is a number that silences most critics. The question now is whether the club’s summer business will put him in a better position to challenge for awards rather than just stay up next season.
📌 Did You Know?
- Pape Gueye was born in Montreuil, France and represented France at under-18 and under 19 level before making his full international switch to Senegal, the country of his descent, in 2021.
- Gueye joined Villarreal on a free transfer from Marseille in July 2024 after spending four years at the Stade Velodrome. He had previously spent the second half of the 2022/23 season on loan at Sevilla, making him the only player in the shortlist to have represented two La Liga clubs.
- Akor Adams arrived at Sevilla from French club Montpellier HSC. He was one of the first Nigerian strikers to establish himself as a regular starter in La Liga in more than a decade.
- Chidera Ejuke played previously at CSKA Moscow and Hertha Berlin before landing in Spain. His pace off the bench has made him one of Sevilla’s most reliable impact substitutes since joining the club.
- Inaki Williams, who finished second in this year’s vote, had won the La Liga African MVP for two consecutive seasons. His brother Nico Williams represents Spain, making them one of the most high-profile sibling pairings in world football.
- The LALIGA Africa award ceremony was held in Lagos, marking a deliberate effort by Spanish football’s governing body to deepen its footprint in Nigeria, one of the continent’s fastest-growing football markets.
- Nigeria’s Samuel Chukwueze, who won the award in 2023 while at Villarreal, now plays for AC Milan in Serie A after joining the Italian club that same summer. His departure from Villarreal opened the door for players like Gueye and Pepe to become the club’s new African standard bearers.
