Zambia and Orlando Pride star Barbra Banda has been crowned BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year after receiving the most votes from BBC Sport readers.
The award was based on performances from September 2023 to August 2024, with a panel of global football experts creating a shortlist of five players. She scored four goals for Zambia at the Paris Olympics, including a hat-trick against Australia, becoming the highest African scorer in Olympic history with 10 goals.
In the 2024 National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), she netted 13 goals in the regular season despite joining Orlando Pride in March. She added four more goals in the playoffs, including the championship-winning goal, helping Orlando Pride secure their first-ever league title. Banda’s performances earned her the league’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.
Banda made headlines earlier this year when she became the second-most expensive signing in women’s football history, moving from Chinese club Shanghai Shengli to Orlando Pride for $740,000 in March. Spain’s Aitana Bonmatí and USA’s Sophia Smith finished second and third in the BBC vote, respectively.
