Orlando Pride and Zambia’s Barbra Banda have been one of the best players in the National Women’s Soccer League in recent years. Banda’s ability to score goals against any team makes her special – from playing in the streets to joining a club, Banda eventually left Zambia to start her professional soccer career.
Despite this success, Banda was overshadowed by unjust criticism concerning her gender. However, she still managed to keep going despite the hate and misinformation surrounding her. If we were to describe Banda, it would be fair to call her a misunderstood star player.
Where did Barbra Banda start?
Banda’s beginning in Zambia wasn’t an easy one. She started playing at a time when it was taboo for women to play soccer so she began her career in the streets of Lusaka. Banda eventually joined the Green Buffaloes, which was the true start of her professional career. She became the first Zambian player to play in Europe which was only the beginning.
Before becoming a soccer player, Banda was a boxer who won five matches before joining the soccer world. Banda spoke about her upbringing to BBC, “Growing up in Zambia has never been easy, especially as a young girl. It is so difficult for us to get into sport like football,” she said. “Parents never used to believe that women could play football so it was a challenge. My mum was not in support of it, but when women’s football started being recognised in Zambia she came to understand and let me do what I love doing most.”
What clubs was Banda part of?
The Zambian striker made the move to Europe when she first joined Logrono. While playing for the Spanish league, Banda managed to score 16 goals in 28 matches. She then joined the Chinese Super League’s Shanghai Shengli and it didn’t take her long to find success. She won the Golden Boot in her first season with the team went on to score 18 goals in 13 matches.
In 2024 Banda’s joined the NWSL’s Orlando Pride in a $740,000 deal. This fee made history as the second most expensive women’s signing. Similar to her experience with her previous teams, Banda found success during her first season. She scored 13 goals in the regular season and then went on to score four goals in the playoffs. No one can deny that Banda played an important role in helping the Orlando Pride win their first NWSL title.
Is Banda a legend?
The short answer is yes, especially when it comes to the history she’s making as a Zambian athlete. She is probably the most famous player Zambia has ever had, along with Racheal Kundananji. Banda was the first player to play in Europe, and left a lasting impact on the national team’s history. During the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Banda became the first player to score three goals in back-to-back games, according to the official Olympics website.
Banda also found success in the Paris Olympics where she scored four goals including a hat-trick against Australia. She became the leading African goalscorer in Olympic history with 10 goals that happened during different versions.
What titles and nominations did Banda earn?
In 2024, Banda was nominated for the prestigious Women’s Ballon d’Or award. She was also named the NWSL’s Best XI for the previous season and named MVP of the NWSL last season as well.
One of the highlights of her career was being named the BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year in 2024. Banda expressed her happiness with BBC saying, “I am shocked and surprised to have this award right by my side,” she said. “I would like to thank the people who voted and everyone who has played a part in my life and my career – my family, my national team in Zambia and especially the Pride team. It is for everyone.”
Despite Banda’s individual titles and nominations, she still focuses on her team. Orlando Pride’s coach Seb Hines told BBC, “She [Banda] is super humble and a good person and that means a lot to us to have good people in our team. She is a team player and, for all of the accolades that she has won and all of the goalscoring records that she has, she puts the team first.”
What hardships and controversy did Banda face?
Unfortunately, Barbra Banda’s success led to her receiving a lot of hate. After winning the BBC award, some claimed Banda wasn’t a woman. They based their accusations on false information plus their belief that Banda didn’t look “feminine” enough.
One critic was JK Rowling who is known for her anti-trans remarks. Although Banda is a cis woman, this didn’t stop people from spreading misinformation claiming she was a trans man.
This wave of hate directed at Banda continues for years and during Orlando Pride’s match against Gotham FC in March, someone in the stands directed hateful language at her. The remarks were both transphobic and racist and the stadium’s security quickly dealt with the heckler. Orlando Pride then went on to release a statement defending Banda.
The hate directed toward Banda is a result of misinformation that spread in 2018 and 2022 when Banda wasn’t selected by the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations tournament. FAZ president Andrew Kamanga told BBC, “All the players had to undergo gender verification, a Caf requirement, and unfortunately she did not meet the criteria set by Caf.”
This claim was denied by the Confederation of African Football (Caf) who stated they didn’t do any tests on Banda. BBC also reported Banda didn’t undergo a gender eligibility test before the tournament in 2022.
“She has not undergone and consequently has not failed any ‘gender verification’ or ‘gender eligibility tests’ administered prior to the tournament,” Barbra Banda’s agent Anton Maksimov told The Gaurdian. “Barbra is also perfectly healthy and fit.”
Although Banda is deeply misunderstood, she continues to rise above the ignorance and remains a star. No matter what haters say, Barbra Banda is the kind of player who leaves an impact on every team she plays for and can’t be defined by the hate she receives, but rather by her continuous success. She continues to take the NWSL by storm.
What do you think more people should know about Barbra Banda’s talent? Let us know in the comments!
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