After the first El Clásico of the new season ended, La Liga held a grand awards ceremony to present the honors from the previous season and reward the players who had performed best.
The ceremony was held in Madrid. Besides the players who had been shortlisted, representatives from all forty-two La Liga and Segunda División clubs were in attendance. Most were senior club officials, and all three of Real Madrid's top executives had shown up.
It was not because the ceremony was being held in Madrid, but because everyone had a feeling that Real Madrid would reap a bumper harvest.
Sure enough, the ceremony that followed proved them right.
The Fair Play Award went to Real Sociedad, the Fair Play Player Award went to former Sevilla player Rakitić, who had transferred to Barcelona in the summer, and the Best African Player Award went to former Granada player Brahimi, who had transferred to Porto in the summer.
The Best Newcomer award was a source of regret for Real Madrid. Jesé should have been the overwhelming favorite, even the obvious choice, but a serious injury had kept him out for half a year, and he ultimately failed to win the award.
The winner was Rafinha, the young Barcelona player who had spent the season on loan at Celta Vigo. He had also performed excellently and had returned to Barcelona that summer, though he still could not find a place in the lineup.
There were three candidates for Best Goalkeeper of the Season: former Levante goalkeeper Navas, former Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Courtois, and former Málaga goalkeeper Caballero. Interestingly, all three goalkeepers had transferred during the summer. Navas and Courtois had joined Real Madrid, while Caballero had gone to Man City.
In the end, Navas defeated Courtois and Caballero to be named Best Goalkeeper