The Pride acquire Zambia international striker Barbra Banda from Shanghai Shengli FC.

Barbra Banda, a forward for Zambia, has joined the Orlando Pride from Shanghai Shengli FC of the Chinese Women’s Super League, the team announced today.

The Pride agreed to pay a $740,000 transfer fee and used Allocation Money to finish the singing. She will remain in Orlando through the 2027 NWSL season thanks to a four-year contract that also contains a sell-on provision for potential future transfers.

“It has always been our vision to build the Orlando Pride into an NWSL championship contender, and we believe investment in the world’s best players is a prerequisite for success. Barbra Banda brings a new level of technical skill, physicality, and pace to our attack and she is an exciting and entertaining addition to our roster,” Pride Owner and Chairman Mark Wilf said in a club press release. “We thank Shanghai Shengli FC and their leadership for partnering with us to bring Barbra to Orlando and to the National Women’s Soccer League. Our fans have much to look forward to as we prepare to kick off the regular season.”

The deal marks one of the largest investments for a player in NWSL history. The forward will join the Pride following the receipt of her P-1 Visa and International Transfer Certificate (ITC).

“I’m thankful for the confidence the Wilf family has in our staff and our recommendation to invest heavily in a world-class talent like Barbra. Her stellar performance in the Olympics, World Cup, and Chinese Women’s Super League solidified her as a must-have target,” Pride Vice President of Soccer Operations and General Manager Haley Carter said in the club’s press release. “I also appreciate the leadership at Shanghai Shengli FC for their work with us and with Barbra on this transaction. They have done a phenomenal job developing her and are setting a new precedent within Chinese women’s football. Barbra is a natural born goal scorer and one of the most physically imposing forwards in the world. Turning only 24 years old this month, we have every confidence she will be an impact player in our attack for years to come. We are excited to help her grow and expand upon the various layers of her game and cannot wait to see her in purple.”

After joining Shanghai Shengli in 2020, Banda had an instant effect, capturing the CWSL Golden Boot and scoring 18 goals in 13 games. She has five assists and 16 goals in the previous campaign. The forward scored 41 goals for Shanghai in 52 games overall.

Banda established herself for Zambia internationally despite having a stellar club career. As a youngster, she made her Olympic debut in 2016 and was selected for her nation’s 2020 Tokyo squad (which was rescheduled to 2021 owing to the pandemic). She scored the goals against China and the Netherlands in the competition with back-to-back hat tricks. It was also the first time a player had accomplished it in a single tournament, a first in Olympic history.

In 2022, Banda led Zambia to victory in Africa’s top international competition, the COSAFA Women’s Championship, scoring 10 goals in five games and winning the Golden Ball. She went on to net a brace in a lead-up game to the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, scoring the winner in stoppage time against second-ranked Germany in a shocking upset.

Most recently, Banda captained Zambia during the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023. She scored the game-winning goal in her nation’s 3-1 victory over Costa Rica in the last group stage match. It was also the country’s first-ever World Cup victory and the 1,000th goal in FIFA Women’s World Cup history. She is Africa’s all-time leader in Olympic goals and was voted the IFFHS World’s Best International Goal Scorer at the conclusion of the year.

This year, Banda scored a brace against Ghana in a 4-3 aggregate victory to assist Zambia proceed in the 2024 Summer Olympics qualification process in Paris. She will compete in the 2024 CAF Women’s Olympic qualifying competition in early April to continue her Olympic qualifying campaign.

What Orlando Should Take Away from This

This offseason, the Pride lost starting striker Messiah Bright to Angel City FC when she requested a transfer for private reasons. With Simone Charley signed as a free agent and Ally Watt returning, it was unknown who would start at the top for the Pride. The team needed an experienced striker, but Pride Head Coach Seb Hines had options at the position.

The Pride have not only found a worthy successor for Bright, but they have also become better at the position. Carter recently stated that the team concentrated on the midfield this year and defence last year on The Mane Land’s SkoPurp Soccer podcast. It was uncertain whether the team would recruit a player of Watt’s calibre when she added that 2024 would be the “year of Ally.” But Orlando now has depth at the position and a goal scorer with international experience.

The organisation traded away a number of seasoned starters for draft picks and Allocation Money during its most recent reconstruction. Although the changes drew resentment from supporters, the Pride have made good use of them. They have utilised Allocation in addition to the draft to assemble a potent roster.