Background and career
Barbra Banda (born 20 March 2000) is a Zambian professional footballer who plays as a striker for National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) club Orlando Pride and captains the Zambia national team.
Banda is widely considered one of the top women's players in the world. She is Africa's all-time top scorer in Olympic football history, having scored three hat tricks at two Olympic Games. She led Zambia to win the 2022 COSAFA Women's Cup, earning the Golden Ball with ten goals. In 2024, she was named African Women's Footballer of the Year, BBC Women's Footballer of the Year and to the FIFPRO Women's World 11.
In 2024, Banda signed with the Pride for the second-highest transfer fee in women's football history at the time. In her first season in the NWSL, she led the Pride to the NWSL Shield, 2024 NWSL Championship, and was named the NWSL Championship Most Valuable Player.
