Voting opens for the Sporty LaLiga MVP as African talent celebrated across Spanish football

With African players continuing to light up Spanish football this season, LaLiga has announced the return of the Sporty LaLiga MVP for 2024/25, an award recognising the best African player in the league, for a fourth consecutive season.

The winner of this season’s Sporty LaLiga MVP will follow in the footsteps of past winners Iñaki Williams of Ghana (2024), Samuel Chukwueze of Nigeria (2023), and Yassine Bounou of Morocco (2022).

This year marks the first time Sporty Group, one of Africa’s leading sports entertainment and technology brands, joins as the official sponsor of the MVP award. Known for its commitment to driving football engagement across the continent, Sporty Group brings its passion and reach to the initiative, amplifying the celebration of African excellence in Spanish football.

Miguel Puche, Brand Director of Sporty Group, said: "Launching these awards for the first time, made possible through our sponsorship agreement with LaLiga, perfectly reflects the kind of initiative we aim to lead at Sporty. This project is grounded in three key pillars that define our mission: showcasing and working with African talent, connecting with fans by bringing them the best football in the world and amplifying that value through our platforms, including SportyTV and SportyFM, which will play an active role in these awards.”

As in previous editions, the winner of the award is decided by a two-fold voting process. The first, an expert jury of 25 top sports journalists from across the continent; the second, the voice of fans across Sub-Saharan countries who can cast their vote on the MiLiga Fan Zone.

Fans could start voting for their Sporty LaLiga MVP from Tuesday, 29 April, all the way through until Wednesday, 14 May. The winner will be announced on Africa Day, Sunday, 25 May, which coincides with the final day of the 2024/25 LaLiga season.

Tresor Penku, Managing Director of LaLiga Africa, said: “African talent is a huge part of the past, present and future of LaLiga; our competition is what it is thanks to the legacy of stars such as Samuel Eto’o, Frédéric Kanouté and Thomas N’Kono over the years, to name just a few.

Now we’re thrilled to be back with the fourth annual Sporty LaLiga MVP award to recognise the contribution African players continue to make to LaLiga week in, week out. We encourage fans to get out there and vote for their favourite stars who continue to showcase the very best of what Africa has to offer out on the pitch.”

This year’s nominees include elite African talents such as reigning champion and Ghanaian international Iñaki Williams, whose goals and pace at the head of the Athletic Club forward line have placed the Basque side in pole position to qualify for next season’s Uefa Champions League; Atlético de Madrid’s Mozambican full-back Reinildo Mandava, a crucial figure in what is statistically the second-tightest defensive unit in LaLiga; Cameroon international and CA Osasuna defensive rock Flavien Enzo Boyomo, who has played more minutes in Spain’s top division this season than any other African player; and Villarreal CF’s trio of Pape Gueye (Senegal), Nicolas Pepe (Ivory Coast) and Logan Costa (Cape Verde) who are guiding the Yellow Submarine’s push for Europe.

THE FULL LIST OF NOMINEES IS AS FOLLOWS:
- Iñaki Williams (Athletic Club) – Ghana
- Reinildo Mandava (Atlético de Madrid) – Mozambique
- Cedric Bakambu (Real Betis) – DR Congo
- Ilaix Moriba (RC Celta) – Guinea
- Moussa Diarra (Deportivo Alavés) – Mali
- Djené Dakonam (Getafe CF) – Togo
- Christantus Uche (Getafe CF) – Nigeria
- Yvan Neyou (CD Leganés) – Cameroon
- Seydouba Cisse (CD Leganés) – Guinea
- Omar Mascarell (RCD Mallorca) – Equatorial Guinea
- Flavien Enzo Boyomo (CA Osasuna) – Cameroon
- Abdul Mumin (Rayo Vallecano) – Ghana
- Pathé Ciss (Rayo Vallecano) – Senegal
- Randy Nteka (Rayo Vallecano) – Angola
- Chidera Ejuke (Sevilla FC) – Nigeria
- Umar Sadiq (Valencia CF) – Nigeria
- Pape Gueye (Villarreal CF) – Senegal
- Nicolas Pepe (Villarreal CF) – Ivory Coast
- Logan Costa (Villarreal CF) – Cape Verde
- Youssouf Sabaly (Real Betis) - Senegal

Full details for voting can be found here.