Zambia’s Barbra Banda has been voted the 2024 CAF Women’s Player of the Year Award.
Banda has won the award ahead Sanaa Mssoudy of Morocco and Chiamaka Nnadozie of Nigeria to become only the second Zambian in history to win the award since Kalusha Bwalya who won it in the men’s category in 1988.
The 24 year old had a memorable 2024 after joining the Orlando Pride, who spent the second-highest transfer fee in women’s football history to sign her from Shanghai Shengli.
“Wow. I had so much to say, but once I just jumped on this stage, everything has gone. But let me take this opportunity to say thanks to God, it has not been easy for me. But no And I say thanks to my coaches, to my teammates at the club and the national team, the president of the Federation, my mom, my family, and all my fans that supports me through out,” Banda said.
“It has never been easy for me to reach this point, but to the people that I was nominated alongside, I believe the best time is yet to come for you. Individually, you’ve done so well and Gods time the best.
“And I want to say thanks to my agent, the management, they’ve been with me throughout and I think this season has been great for me. And to all the Zambians, I wanna say thanks to you for your support that you give to me. I would say Zambia Ku Chalo, thank you so much.”
She has been the talismanic figure who has driven the Pride from underdogs to champions, with 13 goals and six assists leading them to first place in the regular season and their first NWSL Shield. She was also named BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year in 2024, and she is the first African to make the 2024 FIFPRO Best Eleven.
At the Paris 2024 Olympics, she scored her third major event hat trick against Australia in a 6-5 group stage loss, reaffirming her status among the world’s best strikers.
Before that, Banda became the first player in Olympic history to score hat-tricks in consecutive games against the Republic of China and the Netherlands in 2021, despite her team going winless and exiting the group stage.
Following that historic hat-trick in Paris, Banda became the first player in women’s football history to score three hat-tricks at an Olympic Games, putting her in strong contention for this year’s CAF award.
Her current Olympic goal tally is nine, five short of Cristiane’s record (14).
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