Banda wins 2024 CAF Women’s Player of the Year

Zambia Women’s National team captain Barbra Banda has won  the 2024 CAF Women’s Player of the Year Award.

Banda, who becomes the first Zambian to win the award, faced fierce competition from Morocco’s star striker Sana Mssoudy and Nigeria goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie to clinch the 2024 award at Marrakech, Morocco.

Banda was recently named the BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year 2024 and became the first African to be named in the 2024 FIFPRO Women’s World 11.

The Zambian striker made history at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games where she netted four goals for the Copper Queens during the tournament. She made history as the first player in women’s football to score three hat-tricks in Olympic games.

Moving to the United States to join Orlando Pride, she was impressive in her debut season in the National Women’s Soccer League.

Banda was instrumental in her team’s success, scoring 13 goals and 6 assists during the regular season. She also earned the Most Valuable Player (MVP) accolade with her impactful performance in the playoffs, including scoring the game-winning goal in the final.

The Orlando Pride striker joins South Africans Noko Matlou and Thembi Kgatlana as the only players from Southern Africa to claimed the CAF Women’s gong.