Orlando Pride signs Barbra Banda for near-record $740,000 transfer fee as Zambian forward agrees to $2million, four-year deal to become one of the highest-paid players in NWSL history
- Banda has been a forerunner in the rise of women’s football in recent years
- The transfer fee for Banda was just under the record of a fellow Zambian
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The Orlando Pride have signed Zambian international Barbra Banda for a transfer fee of $740,000, the second-highest in the history of women’s soccer and the history of the National Women’s Soccer League.
Banda joins the Orlando Pride from the Chinese Super League on a contract worth approximately $2 million over the next four years.
At around $500,000 per year, Banda will be one of the highest paid players in the NWSL.
The record for the highest transfer fee paid for a female player is still held by her Zambian teammate, Racheal Kundananji, who joined NWSL expansion club Bay FC for a transfer of $787,600.
Banda is regarded as one of the best up-and-coming attackers in women’s football.
Banda signed a four-year contract with the Orlando Pride, where she will earn approximately $2 million
Her star performances began at the Tokyo Olympics, where she scored hat-tricks in consecutive group matches.
Banda was the first woman in Olympic history to accomplish this feat, or score two hat-tricks in the same Olympic tournament.
Banda is the top African scorer in Olympic history.
Banda was also part of the Zambian squad that took part in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The women’s transfer market is booming worldwide and in January a record was set with $2.1 million in fees for female players, a 165 percent increase from the same period in 2023.