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MVP for every La Liga club this season

Sergio Perez / Reuters

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo fought for the spotlight as La Liga proved to be a two-horse race once again this season. But, away from Barcelona and Real Madrid, other footballers also dazzled supporters in the top flight of Spanish football, and deserve recognition for their accomplishments.

Here's the most valuable player for every club in La Liga this season:

Real Madrid - Cristiano Ronaldo

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Ronaldo made fools of those who tried to write him off, adjusting his game with ruthless efficiency. The Portuguese attacker, who celebrated his 32nd birthday in February, showed no signs of ageing, developing into a centre-forward as the season went on and abandoning the left side of the pitch for the penalty area. His 24 La Liga goals mark a decline from his 35 league goals in 2015-16 and 48 in 2014-15, but his versatility and ability to thrive as a No. 9 indicate he is capable of terrorising the top flight of Spanish football for years to come.

Barcelona - Lionel Messi

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Messi stood in the northwest corner of the Santiago Bernabeu with a black eye and a bloody mouth, triumphantly holding up his shirt. The Argentinian genius had scored his 500th goal for Barcelona in the 92nd minute of a phenomenal edition of El Clasico. It was the highlight of the season, and an emphatic reminder of who is the planet's most complete footballer.

Atletico Madrid - Filipe Luis

Atletico Madrid's defensive unit - the best in Spain - would be a shadow of itself without Filipe Luis, who isn't just a competent defender but a capable attacker, as evidenced by the Brazilian left-back's three goals and six assists in La Liga this season. For the fifth campaign in a row, Atleti conceded fewer goals than any club in the league. While Diego Godin, Jose Maria Gimenez, and Stefan Savic deserve praise, it's the product of Figueirense who stands out above the rest.

Sevilla - Steven N'Zonzi

Steven N'Zonzi is being reinvented at Sevilla. The footballer Jorge Sampaoli called an "octopus" with "long legs, big legs" enjoyed the best season of his career, erasing his reputation as a physical midfielder by evolving into the Andalusian club's most creative player. He displayed an elegance not expected of someone who stands 6-foot-3, or someone who once played for Blackburn Rovers and Stoke City. As the Guardian's Sid Lowe wrote, his game is "construction, not destruction."

Villarreal - Bruno Soriano

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Bruno Soriano is the captain of the Yellow Submarine for a reason. The deep-lying midfielder is blessed with vision that allows him to absorb everything on the pitch, and, at 32 years of age, his spatial awareness appears to be better than ever. Villarreal's season looked destined for disaster when Fran Escriba was appointed manager on the eve of the season, but the player steered to the club to calmer waters. There was never reason to panic.

Athletic Club - Yeray Alvarez

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Diagnosed with a testicular tumour in December, Yeray Alvarez not only won a personal battle this season but was the titanium in Athletic Club's defence, as the Basque centre-back formed a resilient partnership with Aymeric Laporte. It came as no surprise when Mundo Deportivo's Francesc Aguilar reported that the defender is on Barcelona's agenda.

Real Sociedad - Asier Illarramendi

Asier Illarremendi is back at Real Sociedad, doing what he did at Estadio de Anoeta before testing the waters at Real Madrid for two seasons. The Basque midfielder, who returned to his boyhood club in 2015, can dictate the tempo of play like few others in Spain, and he's a large reason why the club tallied more points this season than in any other since Antoine Griezmann's departure.

SD Eibar - Pedro Leon

Another footballer who qualifies as a former misfit at Real Madrid, Pedro Leon is shining brightly once again. The right winger's career was jeopardised by a transfer in 2010 when he joined Los Blancos, only to be told by Jose Mourinho that he wouldn't play - even if the club's plane crashed without him on it and he was the only player available. At SD Eibar, he is experiencing a rebirth, holding 10 goals and five assists to his name this season.

Deportivo Alaves - Deyverson

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Aside from an altercation in which he spat on Godin, Deyverson's season was filled with positives. The Brazilian forward, who joined Deportivo Alaves on loan from Levante UD after Las Granotas were relegated, is El Glorioso's top scorer with seven goals, one of which came as the club shocked Barcelona at the Camp Nou. His legs look like they're made of rubber, but he's as sturdy as they come at Mendizorrotza.

RCD Espanyol - Gerard Moreno

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Gerard Moreno might be at a mid-table club in RCD Espanyol, but the Catalan forward is more than a mid-table footballer. Boasting 13 goals and four assists this season, he is improving with each passing year and, to the delight of Los Pericos' supporters, can claim to have found the back of the net as many times as Neymar.

Malaga - Ignacio Camacho

Ignacio Camacho continued to grow into his own this season, as the defensive midfielder was a dynamic figure for Malaga. He is one of just two players who remain from the squad that came within seconds of reaching the Champions League's semi-finals in 2012-13, and it's easy to see why Los Boqueneros are keen to keep him around.

Valencia - Dani Parejo

Valencia, the club with the fourth-biggest budget in La Liga, is, as Lowe put it, "sinking in a mess" of its own making. Los Che spent a portion of the season hovering above the relegation zone, while Cesare Prandelli and Jesus Garcia Pitarch resigned as manager and sporting director, respectively. A lone bright spot for the club was Dani Parejo, who produced five goals and seven assists.

Celta Vigo - Iago Aspas

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Iago Aspas, Celta Vigo's homegrown hero and lucky charm, enjoyed his most prolific season since joining the Galician club at 9 years old. He is putting up numbers that nobody at Liverpool would believe, boasting 18 goals - more than anyone away from Real Madrid and Barcelona - and three assists. He is, by a mile, the best player at Balaidos.

UD Las Palmas - Jonathan Viera

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Jonathan Viera played the highest-level football of his career this season, and did it with class. The midfielder, who was born in the Canary Islands, took Juan Carlos Valeron's shirt and wore it well, notching seven goals and seven assists while controlling game after game. Without him on the pitch, UD Las Palmas could have found itself in a relegation battle.

Real Betis - Dani Ceballos

Gus Poyet was unsure about Dani Ceballos, handing the Andalusian midfielder just one start during his tenure at Real Betis. Then came Victor Sanchez, who immediately tossed the footballer into the starting lineup. The decision paid off. The son of two parents who ran a churro stand took the game to whoever the club was playing, and one performance denied Barcelona of two points.

CD Leganes - Diego Rico

CD Leganes, La Liga's smallest club, avoided relegation in its debut season in the top flight of Spanish football. At the heart of that accomplishment was Diego Rico, the Castilian left-back who embodied Los Pepineros' resilient approach, manufacturing tackles and interceptions to secure another campaign of first-division football for the cucumber club.

Deportivo La Coruna - Celso Borges

Celso Borges was pivotal as Deportivo La Coruna steered clear of relegation by the thinnest of margins. The Costa Rican defensive midfielder provided the Branquiazuis' defence with a shield, but, above all, was fearless going forward. He tallied six goals - more than anyone would expect from someone who plays in his position - including a 93rd-minute equaliser against Betis.

Real Sporting de Gijon - Sergio Alvarez

Real Sporting de Gijon brought relegation on itself. It was "a result of institutional crisis, social divide and financial limitations," as Lowe explained. But Sergio Alvarez provided the Asturian club's supporters with something to cheer about throughout the season, establishing himself as a midfielder who deserves to be playing in La Liga.

CA Osasuna - Alex Berenguer

CA Osasuna's relegation came as no surprise. Los Rojillos weren't prepared for La Liga and were the league's first casualty this season. Among the bright spots, however, was Alex Berenguer, who demonstrated his versatility week after week as he embraced whatever role he was asked to play.

Granada CF - Mehdi Carcela-Gonzalez

Granada CF didn't earn any sympathy from supporters or the press under Tony Adams. But mercy was shown for Mehdi Carcela-Gonzalez, whose ability to dribble past opponents stood in contrast to Los Nazaries' humiliating season.

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