Sixteen goals, one new contract
Marta set the bar at 13 goals in 2017. Nobody got near it for seven years. Barbra Banda tied that mark in 2024, then smashed it this season: 16 goals in 20 matches, with the campaign still going.
Orlando drew the obvious conclusion. The Pride announced on Monday that their Zambian striker has signed an extension through 2029.
The club called it a “historic deal”. No figures were disclosed. ESPN reports the franchise used the NWSL’s new High Impact Player mechanism to hand Banda one of the league’s biggest contracts.
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Two and a half years in, and already a local icon
She arrived in Florida in 2024. Since then, she has put up 41 goals and 11 assists in 62 appearances across all NWSL competitions.
Her first season was enough to sweep the board: league champions and then the NWSL Shield. In 2025, she scored the first hat-trick in franchise history. In 2026, she is rewriting the club record book.
“Barbra is a transformational player whose impact goes far beyond the goals she scores on the field,” said Mark Wilf, the club’s owner and president. Caitlin Carducci, the chief executive, said Orlando’s strength lies in keeping its stars, not just signing them.
Banda kept it short. “Orlando has become a special place for me,” she said.
A career path unlike any other
Before Florida came Zambia, China and Spain. It is hardly the classic route for a kid from Lusaka with big dreams and no map.
At 26, she has just earned her third straight Women’s Ballon d’Or nomination. Three years running among the best players in the world, from a league Europe still tends to watch from a distance.
The Pride have now locked down their most valuable asset for another three seasons. The only question is how far she can push the record before December.
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