Pape Gueye Wins 2025/26 LaLiga African MVP Award, Ending Inaki Williams’ Back-to-Back Reign

Villarreal CF midfielder Pape Gueye was officially named the 2025/26 SPORTY LaLiga African MVP on Sunday, May 24, 2026, at a gala event held in Lagos, Nigeria. The 27-year-old Senegal international becomes the first Senegalese player to win the award, which recognises the best African player in LaLiga EA SPORTS each season.

Gueye secured 38% of the total votes cast on the MILIGA Fan Zone platform, finishing ahead of Athletic Club forward Inaki Williams, who received 24% of the vote. Williams, who had won the award in both 2024 and 2025, was aiming to become the first player in the award’s history to win three consecutive titles. Villarreal teammate Nicolas Pépé of Ivory Coast placed third with 22% of the vote, while Nigerian pair Akor Adams and Chidera Ejuke also featured among the nominees.

The Lagos ceremony brought together notable figures from African football, including former El Clásico participants Alex Song and Geremi Njitap, as well as media personalities and supporters who gathered to watch the final day of the Spanish top-flight season.

For a defensive midfielder to accumulate more votes than a field of predominantly attacking players underlines the consistency Gueye displayed throughout the 2025/26 campaign. Operating as the central engine of Villarreal’s midfield, he played a key role in the club securing Champions League qualification for a second successive season — a significant achievement for a side often competing against wealthier Spanish clubs for European places.

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

Gueye, who was part of Senegal’s Africa Cup of Nations-winning squad at AFCON 2025, adds this club-level honour to what has been an exceptional period in his career. His victory at the LaLiga African MVP award represents the first time the accolade has gone to a Senegalese player, breaking a run of dominance by Ghanaian and Moroccan recipients in recent editions.

The full list of past winners includes Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, who claimed the prize in 2022, Nigeria’s Samuel Chukwueze in 2023, and Williams in both 2024 and 2025. Gueye is now the fifth different nationality to appear on that list in five years, reflecting the breadth of African talent across Spanish football.

Engagement with the award has grown considerably, with fan voting on the MILIGA Fan Zone platform rising by more than 150% compared to the previous season, according to figures cited at the event. The increased participation points to a deepening relationship between African football audiences and LaLiga, a competition that has actively expanded its presence across the continent in recent years.