Barbra Banda becomes first African in world's women's football elite

Zambian striker Barbra Banda has made history as the first African chosen for the FIFPRO Women's World 11.

Zambian attacker Barbra Banda has made history by becoming the first African to be selected for the FIFPRO Women’s World 11. The team for 2024 was unveiled on Monday.

Banda has been rewarded for her outstanding form over the past year, scoring 17 goals in 25 matches for "Orlando Pride" in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) and leading them to the Shield and Championship successes in the USA.

The 24-year-old excelled for "Pride", which was formed nine years ago but claimed their first trophies in 2024, thanks to Banda’s brilliant performance.

“It’s incredibly humbling to receive such an honour, especially being voted by my fellow players,” Banda said. “That makes it somewhat more special. It’s a wonderful feeling to receive such massive recognition.”

Recently, Banda also won the prestigious BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year award and excelled at the 2024 Olympic Games for Zambia, becoming the second most expensive female player in history with a transfer reported at USD 740,000 from the Chinese side "Shanghai Shengli".

Over 7,000 female footballers cast their votes for the team of the year. The World 11 stands as the sole global award settled exclusively by professional footballers. The FIFPRO Women’s World 11 gathered the most votes from their peers for their performances from August 21, 2023, to August 10, 2024, inclusive. Players must have appeared in at least 20 official matches during this period.

The 2024 FIFPRO Women’s World 11 team includes:

Goalkeeper: Mary Earps ("Manchester United"/"Paris Saint-Germain", England)

Defenders: Lucy Bronze ("Barcelona"/"Chelsea", England), Olga Carmona ("Real Madrid", Spain), Alex Greenwood ("Manchester City", England)

Midfielders: Aitana Bonmati ("Barcelona", Spain), Alexia Putellas ("Barcelona", Spain), Keira Walsh ("Barcelona", England)

Forwards: Barbra Banda ("Shanghai Shengli"/"Orlando Pride", Zambia), Linda Caicedo ("Real Madrid", Colombia), Lauren James ("Chelsea", England), Marta ("Orlando Pride", Brazil)