The 20-man shortlist for the 2025–2026 SPORTY LaLiga African MVP Award includes Nigerian forwards Akor Adams and Chidera Ejuke. The Spanish top flight announced its finalists this week.
LaLiga, in collaboration with SPORTY, organizes the award, which is currently in its fifth edition, to honor African achievement in Spain and strengthen ties between Spanish and African football.
Goalie Yassine Bounou of Morocco won the first prize in 2021–2022, and Samuel Chukwueze of Nigeria won it in 2022–2023. Athletic Club’s Inaki Williams is back on the shortlist after winning the previous two championships.
With seven goals and three assists in 24 games, Adams has led Sevilla’s league scoring statistics during his breakthrough season. After joining from Montpellier in the middle of the season last year, the 26-year-old immediately proved the club’s €5 million salary with a goal in a 4-1 victory over Barcelona.
The participation of Ejuke shows how Nigerian players are becoming more influential in Spain. Pape Gueye and Nicolas Pepe of Villarreal and Djene Dakonam, a defender for Getafe, present fierce competition for the two.
Voting began this week and will continue until May 10. Fan votes and a panel of experts, comprising football writers and business stakeholders, will determine the winner. On May 23, the award will be given out in Lagos.
Gueye is ahead with 24.1% of the vote, followed by Pepe with 19.6%. Ejuke has 0.7% at this early point, while Adams has 12.1%, tied with Williams.
