Banda voted BBC Women's Footballer of the Year

Zambia and Orlando Pride guardant Barbra Banda has been voted BBC Women's Footballer of the Year.

She received the astir votes from readers of the BBC Sport website aft a five-player shortlist was announced past month.

The shortlist - based connected performances from September 2023 to August 2024 - was selected by a ample sheet of experts progressive successful shot astir the world, including coaches, players, administrators and non-BBC journalists.

"I americium shocked and amazed to person this grant close by my side," the 24-year-old told BBC Sport.

"I would similar to convey the radical who voted and everyone who has played a portion successful my beingness and my vocation - my family, my nationalist squad successful Zambia and particularly the Pride team. It is for everyone."

Banda scored 4 goals for Zambia astatine the Paris Olympics this summer, including a first-half hat-trick against Australia, to go the starring African goalscorer successful Olympic past with 10.

She scored 13 goals for Pride successful 2024 NWSL regular season, contempt lone joining successful March.

Spain and Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmati came 2nd successful the voting, portion USA and Portland Thorns guardant Sophia Smith finished third.

Norway and Barcelona winger Caroline Graham Hansen and USA and San Diego Wave defender Naomi Girma were besides connected the shortlist.

Banda became the second-most costly women's signing successful past - down Zambia team-mate Racheal Kundananji - erstwhile she joined Pride from Chinese nine Shanghai Shengli $740,000 (£581,000) successful March.

"My purpose ever is to people due to the fact that I emotion scoring," said Banda. "But it each starts from practice, having bully grooming sessions and bully talks with the coaches and team-mates.

"It has not been casual but I deliberation hard enactment and consistency has truly helped."

The Zambia captain, who came 12th successful the 2024 Women's Ballon d'Or, is simply a erstwhile nonrecreational boxer who won each of her 5 bouts earlier switching absorption to football.

"Growing up successful Zambia has ne'er been easy, particularly arsenic a young girl. It is truthful hard for america to get into athletics similar football," she said.

"Parents ne'er utilized to judge that women could play shot truthful it was a challenge.

"My mum was not successful enactment of it, but erstwhile women's shot started being recognised successful Zambia she came to recognize and fto maine bash what I emotion doing most."

Pride caput manager Seb Hines told BBC Sport: "It is large to spot Barbra getting acknowledged for what she has done, not lone for our nine but for African football.

"She is ace humble and a bully idiosyncratic and that means a batch to america to person bully radical successful our team.

"She is simply a squad subordinate and, for each of the accolades that she has won and each of the goalscoring records that she has, she puts the squad first."