Prolific Zambia Women’s National team striker, Barbra Banda, has beaten Super Falcons of Nigeria goalkeeper, Chiamaka Nnadozie, to win the Women’s Player of the Year at the 2024 CAF Awards.
As a result, Banda has become the first Zambian to win the accolade and the third from the southern African region, after South Africans Noko Matlou and Thembi Kgatlana.
The Orlando Pride striker has also been named in the CAF/FIFPro Women’s Best XI of 2024, capping a successful year for her, having also been named BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year and becoming the first African to be named in the FIFPro Women’s World XI.
Some of her achievements in 2024 include helping Orlando Pride to the National Women’s Soccer League title and emerging MVP of the final. She also became the first player to score three career Olympic hat-tricks following a first-half hat-trick in the match against Australia at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.