Players with the star power of Zambian forward Barbra Banda are rarely afforded the chance to move in silence. News of the 23-year-old striker’s move to the Orlando Pride from Shanghai Shengli, first reported by CBS Sports, hardly existed in rumor form before it was firmed up by sources days ahead of the club’s announcement.
But now it’s official: the prolific goal-scorer whose career sparkles with historic consecutive Olympic game hat tricks and her contributions to Zambia’s push toward global prominence is packing up her talents and taking them to Orlando.
Banda spoke exclusively to The Athletic ahead of the club’s official announcement about transitioning to the NWSL from the Chinese Super League, playing with Brazilians in Orlando, ensuring African women’s football stays at the forefront of people’s minds, and converting Zambians into NWSL fans.
Though she’s still in her early 20s, Banda’s career has taken her from her hometown in the capital of Lusaka; to Logroño, Spain; to Shanghai, where she’ll close her current chapter with 41 goals across 52 career games.
After four years in China, she knew it was time to seek out new challenges.
“Honestly, it has not been easy for me to reach this stage, but I think the effort and the determination has really worked…
