Morocco and Sevilla goalkeeper Yassine Bounou has been voted as the winner of the first La Liga African Most Valuable Player Award.
Bounou was declared the winner after thousands of African football fans voted for him, and this crowns his impressive season, which saw him help Sevilla qualify for the Uefa Champions League.
The 31-year-old had also beat Thibaut Courtois of Real Madrid, Barcelona’s Andre Ter Stegen, and Jan Oblak of Atletico Madrid for the Zamora Trophy as La Liga’s best goalkeeper.
After fans were called to vote for their best African player of the season, over 30, 000 votes were received from across Africa and from countries such as France, Spain, and the United States for this unique fan-driven African MVP Award.
Bounou beat Barcelona’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Villareal’s duo of Nigerian winger Samuel Chukwueze and Senegal striker Boulaye Dia, as well as the Central African Republic’s Atletico Madrid midfielder Geoffrey Kondogbia, as he emerged an overwhelming winner.
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The Moroccan conceded just 24 goals in 31 appearances in La Liga, giving him a ratio of just 0.77 goals conceded per game in an outstanding and consistent season for the Spanish side.
Bounou’s excellent outing with Sevilla follows in the footsteps of Cameroon trio Carlos Kameni, Thomas N’kono, and Jacques Songo’o, who won the Zamora Trophy at the end of a brilliant 1996/1997 season while playing for Deportivo La Coruna.
The 2020 Europa League champion with Sevilla won the La Liga mid-season MVP award when the competition was launched in January this year, and he was a landslide winner of the full-season award.
"I am very happy. For me, it is a great honour," Bounou said, as per a press release by La Liga.
"I would like to thank all my teammates, the coaching staff, and all the members of Sevilla who are by my side and who work every day and without them, it would certainly not have been possible."
"La Liga would like to warmly congratulate Yassine Bounou on becoming the first recipient of the La Liga African MVP Award," said Marcos Pelegrin, La Liga Southern Africa managing director.
"He is a worthy and popular recipient, having received the majority of votes from thousands of African football fans, who we would like to warmly thank for the way they’ve embraced and participated in this competition in huge numbers.
"This award honours La Liga's outstanding African player of the season but also acknowledges the huge contribution and continued growth of La Liga on the African continent, both on and off the pitch. We hope to see this competition grow in strength and stature in years to come."
