Akor Adams’ LaLiga African MVP Bid Under Threat From Nicolas Pepe and Etta Eyong in Final Stretch

Sevilla forward Akor Adams entered the final weeks of the LaLiga season as the leading Nigerian candidate for the prestigious LaLiga African MVP award, but two continental rivals have closed the gap considerably, turning what appeared to be a straightforward coronation into a genuine three-way contest.

Adams, who scored a 91st-minute winner against Espanyol over the weekend, has accumulated nine goals and three assists across the 2025/26 campaign — statistics that secured him a place on the 2026 nomination shortlist. The 20-man shortlist also includes his Sevilla clubmate and fellow Nigerian Chidera Ejuke. The award was previously won by Super Eagles winger Samuel Chukwueze in 2023, and Adams had been widely regarded as the frontrunner to become only the second Nigerian to claim the honour.

However, the most immediate challenger to Adams’ candidacy is Ivory Coast international Nicolas Pepe, who has undergone a significant revival at Villarreal following his high-profile and largely underwhelming spell at Arsenal — a transfer that cost the London club a reported £72 million. The 30-year-old has registered eight goals and six assists this season, placing him level with Adams on overall goal contributions. More notably, Pepe has produced five direct goal contributions across his last four matches, including a goal and two assists in a recent outing against Levante. Villarreal are scheduled to face Sevilla in the coming fixtures, setting up a direct head-to-head that could prove decisive in the MVP race.

The third contender is 22-year-old Cameroonian forward Karl Etta Eyong of Levante, who has announced himself as a credible MVP candidate following a breakout campaign that has yielded seven goals and four assists. Eyong scored a match-winning goal in Levante’s 3-2 victory over Osasuna at the weekend, demonstrating the ability to deliver in high-pressure situations — a quality that has also defined Adams’ season at Sevilla. Eyong’s emergence adds a generational dimension to the contest, with the young Indomitable Lion representing one of LaLiga’s more compelling stories of the season.

The LaLiga African MVP award has grown in significance as African representation in Spanish football has increased. Chukwueze’s 2023 victory with Villarreal — before his subsequent move to AC Milan — remains the benchmark for Nigerian players in the Spanish top flight. Adams’ season at Sevilla, a club that has endured considerable turbulence in recent years, has drawn considerable attention across the continent.

With LaLiga approaching its conclusion, the margins separating the three candidates are narrow enough that final-day performances may ultimately determine the outcome. Adams faces the dual pressure of maintaining Sevilla’s own end-of-season objectives while accumulating the individual numbers necessary to hold off Pepe’s veteran experience and Eyong’s momentum. The award’s outcome will likely hinge on performances in the remaining fixtures, with Adams’ upcoming meeting against Pepe’s Villarreal carrying particular weight in both the individual and collective contexts.