BARBRA BANDA REACTS TO BALLON D’OR NOMINATION
COPPER Queens captain Barbra Banda has reacted to the news of her getting her first ever nomination for the Ballon d’Or award.
Upon receiving the wonderful news which was delivered to her by her club Orlando Pride yesterday, Banda thanked her teammates and fans for having massively contributed to the nomination.
She stated that the award was made possible by the support of her teammates and fans.
“I just wanna say thank you for this opportunity and without you guys I’m not gonna be there but it’s through your efforts, the hard work of everyone here, so I really appreciate you, thank you.”
“I am very excited to get my first nomination for the Ballon D’or. This is not possible without the hard work of my teammates at club and national team plus my coaches and of course each and every one of you who support my journey,” Banda later posted online.
This is the most prestigious individual football award after she helped the national team to make a consecutive appearance at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, where she contributed four goals in three games.
Prior to the Paris 2024 Olympics, the Orlando Pride new acquisition was joint-top of the National Women’s Soccer League leadersboard with 12 goals in 12 games, helping Pride to remain unbeaten through the first half of the season.
At the Olympics, the Copper Queens’ skipper scored four goals in three matches including a historic hat-trick in the loss against Australia.
Joining Banda on the prestigious 30-woman shortlist for the 2024 Ballon d’Or Feminin from Southern Africa is Malawi’s Tabitha Chawinga.
Both player became the first women from their countries to be nominated for the covered awards.
The 68th edition of the awards are slated for October 28, 2024.
Kalemba