After settling into the Italian Serie A last season, Zambian wing wizard Lameck Banda is set to begin his second season with US Lecce next season.
Banda became the first Zambian to score in Serie A the previous season. He scored in Lecce’s 2-0 win over Sampdoria.
His second goal came in a 3-2 loss to Bologna, bringing his debut season total to two goals and one assist in 36 appearances.
Banda earned a spot in the national team during his first season in Serie A. He went on to score his first international goal in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Banda scored twice as a substitute in Chipolopolo’s 3-1 victory over Lesotho at the Levy Mwanawansa stadium.
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Meanwhile, the Football Observatory ranks Banda as one of the top ten best dribblers under the age of 25 in Europe’s top five leagues for the 2022-23 season.
He is ranked ninth on the list, which also includes Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior.
He completed 5.0 successful dribbles per 90′ minutes in Serie A, making him the league’s third-best young dribbler, trailing only AC Milan’s Rafael Leao and Sassuolo’s Armand Lauriente.
With the new season set to begin, the 2023 AFCON-bound winger will look to build on his performances.
Banda will start the new season with a new coach at Lecce who survived relegation last season under Marco Baroni.
Lecce appointed Roberto D’Aversa as their head coach following the departure of Baroni after a contractual disagreement.
