It’s our time as a continent – Banda
Zambia striker Barbra Banda has made history by becoming the first player from Africa to be included in the FIFPRO Women’s World 11 for 2024, but she hopes this is just the beginning and has big ambitions for the future.
In this exclusive interview with CAFOnline, Banda looks back on her football journey and reveals her dream for Zambia football is to lift the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
CAFOnline.com: Congratulations on becoming the first African player to feature in the FIFPRO Women’s World 11. How does it feel to be honoured in this way among the best players in the world?
Barbra Banda: It’s an extremely humbling feeling to get this honour and especially as it is my fellow players who voted. That makes it even a little more special. It’s just a great feeling to get such a huge recognition. God has truly been on my side.
You had an incredible debut season in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) with 17 goals in 25 games for Orlando Pride. What are your thoughts on the campaign?
It was a good season and I am happy to have helped my team break so many records and win both the NWSL Shield and NWSL Championship. I have to say that my teammates and coaches helped me settle in very quickly. They deserve the praise.
You have been in sensational form for Zambia at global tournaments, including two Olympic Games and the FIFA Women’s World Cup. How does it make you feel to perform on these big stages and how do you see the future for the Zambian side?
It is always an honor to represent my country. Putting on that jersey is something special for me and I always just try to do my best to help the team. I think we have a good crop of players. There is a lot of effort from teams at club level to keep improving, we now have a Women’s Super League and a National Division, which is helping with competition among players. We have also consistently been participating in regional tournaments such as the COSAFA Women’s Championship. The facts are many and all these little things put together is why we are now doing so well.
Tell us a little bit about your journey in football, how you got started in the game and your early years. For many of us we came across you for the first time at the 2014 FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup.
I started playing football at an early age, about six years old. I used to follow my father to the pitch and would play around with the ball. That’s how the love started. I joined Galaxy Academy in Mtendere East before moving to Bauleni and later Green Buffaloes Women’s Football Club. Then it’s been a rollercoaster since then, playing in Spain, China and now the United States. I got a chance to play for the Zambia Under-17 side when I was really young, around 13 years old, and went on to play at the FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica in 2014. It’s been a bumpy road but with discipline and determination, anything is possible.
You are not the only player from Africa excelling in global women’s football with the likes of the Chawinga sisters from Malawi and your compatriot Racheal Kundananji. How excited are you by the development of the game on the continent?
It’s exciting to see the Chawinga sisters, who are my good friends, doing amazing things. And of course, Racheal, who is my sister, breaking records. It’s our time as a continent, we just need to invest more in women’s football because the talent out there is amazing.
What are your ambitions for the next few years, at both club and country level?
My ambitions are simple, to keep helping my club win more championships and for my country, to try and win things with them. We won the COSAFA Women’s Championship in 2022 and 2024 but a WAFCON title next year would be great. It won’t be easy because the competition is stiff, but we have to keep trying and maybe one day, who knows, we can win a World Cup or the Olympics. We have to keep dreaming big. -cafonline
