Villarreal CF midfielder Pape Gueye has been named the 2025/26 SPORTY LALIGA MVP after being voted the best African player in LALIGA EA SPORTS by fans and expert journalists across Africa.
The 27-year-old Senegal international was announced as the winner at an event in Lagos, Nigeria on Sunday evening, the final day of the LALIGA EA SPORTS season. The award was decided by a combined vote from an expert jury of 25 football journalists and thousands of fans from across Sub-Saharan Africa via the MILIGA Fan Zone. The event featured LALIGA legends Alex Song and Geremi Njitap, formerly of FC Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively, and brought together media, fans, influencers, public figures and members of the African football community.
Gueye claimed first place with 38% of the vote, ahead of two-time winner Iñaki Williams of Ghana and Athletic Club, who finished second with 24%, and Villarreal CF teammate Nicolas Pépé of Ivory Coast, who came third with 22%.
After receiving the award, 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.”
He added: “Right now at Villarreal I’m experiencing the best moment of my career. I want to thank everyone who voted for me, as well as the staff and players, because you never win an individual trophy alone.”
Gueye’s victory capped an outstanding second season with Villarreal CF, during which he anchored the Yellow Submarine’s midfield and played a key role in securing Champions League qualification for a second successive season.
Miguel Puche, Brand Director of Sporty Group, said: “At SPORTY we are delighted to congratulate Pape on his win. His performances this season have been a powerful reminder of the quality, character and influence of African players in LALIGA EA SPORTS. We are incredibly proud to see the SPORTY name alongside African talent at the highest level of the game, and to keep bringing LALIGA even closer to fans across the continent.”
This year’s SPORTY LALIGA MVP underlined the growing connection between African football, LALIGA EA SPORTS and fans across the continent, with fan voting increasing by more than 150% compared to last season’s edition.
Tresor Penku, Managing Director of LALIGA Africa, said: “We congratulate Pape on being named this season’s SPORTY LALIGA MVP after a remarkable campaign with Villarreal CF. We also thank the journalists and thousands of fans across Africa who took part in the vote. Their engagement shows the depth of passion for LALIGA EA SPORTS across the continent and the continued impact of African players at the highest level of Spanish football.”
Gueye joins an illustrious list of SPORTY LALIGA MVP winners, including Ghana’s Iñaki Williams (2024, 2025), Nigeria’s Samuel Chukwueze (2023), and Morocco’s Yassine Bounou (2022).
