Senegal star beats Super Eagles duo of Adams, Ejuke to La Liga African MVP award

Super Eagles forwards Akor Adams and Chidera Ejuke missed out on the 2025/26 La Liga African MVP award after Senegal midfielder Pape Gueye was crowned the best African player in Spanish football, Soccernet.ng reports.

The Villarreal midfielder was officially announced as the winner during a glamorous LALIGA Africa event held in Lagos on Sunday, May 24, 2026. Gueye secured 38 per cent of the total votes to finish ahead of Athletic Bilbao forward Iñaki Williams, who came second with 24 per cent.

The award victory also saw the Senegal international end Ghana’s recent dominance of the prize after Williams had won the last two editions. Villarreal winger Nicolas Pépé finished third in the voting, while Sevilla duo Adams and Ejuke were also among the contenders.

Although Adams enjoyed an impressive campaign with Sevilla, it was not enough to land him the individual honour. The former Montpellier striker finished the season as Nigeria’s highest-scoring forward across Europe’s top five leagues.

The 25-year-old scored 10 league goals and provided three assists in 32 appearances for Sevilla, including crucial late-season strikes against Atletico Madrid, Espanyol and Villarreal as the Andalusian side battled to avoid relegation trouble.

Ejuke, meanwhile, played a different role for Sevilla during the season. The winger was often used from the bench to add pace and creativity in attack. He featured in 27 matches, scored once and contributed one assist, including a memorable display in Sevilla’s 4-1 victory over Barcelona.

Despite the strong Nigerian representation, it was Gueye’s all-round influence for Villarreal that ultimately won over fans and voters.

Gueye’s Villarreal impact overshadows Super Eagles

In only his second season at Villarreal, Gueye has already made his mark for the Yellow Submarines. The Senegal international became the heartbeat of the club's midfield as they secured qualification for next season’s UEFA Champions League for the second straight year.

Speaking after receiving the award in Lagos, the emotional Senegal star described the recognition as the biggest individual achievement of his career.

“It’s a real source of pride, and an honour, to be named the best African player in LALIGA,” Gueye said.

“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.”

The event in Lagos attracted several major football personalities, including former Barcelona midfielder Alex Song and ex-Cameroon defender Geremi Njitap.

Gueye now joins an exclusive list of African stars to win the award, following Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, Ghana forward Iñaki Williams and Super Eagles winger Samuel Chukwueze, who won the prize in 2023 after an outstanding season with Villarreal.

Chukwueze’s memorable 2022/23 campaign included 13 goals and 11 assists in all competitions, with the Nigerian producing a famous match-winning display against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu to cement his place among La Liga’s elite African stars.