When Barbra Banda leads the Copper Queens against Morocco at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) on July 5, it will mark the end of a long, frustrating wait.
Banda is Zambia’s most prized possession in women’s football. Despite her reputation as the Copper Queens’ undisputed most valuable player (MVP), she has never played a minute at Africa’s biggest women’s competition.
She missed the 2018 edition in Ghana and was not part of the playing party at the 2022 tournament in Morocco, for reasons well documented in local and international media.
This time around, there is nothing to bar her; it will certainly be an emotional moment when she walks the team down the turf for her first taste of WAFCON.
So, what should Africa expect from Banda at the WAFCON? Well, the simple answer is goals and records.
Banda is built for big moments. This player scored back-to-back hat-tricks at the Olympic Games, she is Africa’s top scorer at the global games with 13 goals. The 25-year-old is also credited with scoring the 1,000th goal in Women’s World Cup history.
But when it was put to her what individual accolades she would be chasing at her debut WAFCON, her answer was modest.
“All I can say is that the [focus] is all about my teammates. Football is a team sport…. So I create all those records with my teams because I need my players to assist me. I cannot score without my teammates,” Banda said.
She said this when she appeared on the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Stars Spotlight Webinar series on Monday.
“I just wish we keep on the same spirit of being on each other’s back and wanting to help one another and seeing one another progressing in what we are doing so all applause to my team,” she said.
Banda Sets Sights on Collective Success at WAfCON
Banda said the first motivation is not individual accolades but ensuring that the team achieves success.
“It is all about my team; it is not just Barbra. No, we are 11 people on the pitch and the technical staff. All help comes from the team,” Banda said.
Zambia finished third at the 2022 edition. With Banda now in the team, there is renewed hope that the Copper Queens can go all the way. However, in Banda’s words, they will have to take the tournament game by game. “Every game is like a final to us. We will take every game as it comes,” she said.
The first assignment will be to make it out of Group A, where they face opposition from Morocco, Senegal, and neighbours the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). There is no better person to lead the team on this mission than Banda, who currently has 57 goals in 65 appearances for the Copper Queens.
READ MORE: Copper Queens Leave for Morocco with Eyes on Historic WAFCON Triumph
