ZAMBIA Army Commander Lieutenant General Geoffrey Choongo Zyeele has promoted Copper Queens Skipper Barbra Banda to the rank of Warrant Officer Class Two (WOII) while Racheal Kundananji has been promoted from Private to the rank of Corporal.

Banda made history after helping Orlando Pride win both the NWSL shield and the NWSL Championship in a record breaking season in the United States.

The striker scored 17 goals and created seven more in all competitions for Pride, and was named the NWSL MVP after becoming the first player to score in all stages of the NWSL playoffs.

She also made history by making the cut for the 26 player list in the running to be named in the 2024 FIFPRO Women’s Best XI.

This is Banda’s first ever nomination for the FIFPRO World 11 following her fantastic season with Orlando Pride in the USA’s top flight.

Speaking at Army headquarters in Lusaka after he conferred Banda and Kundananji with their new ranks, Lt Gen Zyeele said the two players’ performances had been mind-searching and inspiring to the young female players.

Zyeele said officers and the entire nation were super proud of the duo’s performance in the National Women’s Soccer League.

He stated that the duo had demonstrated the fighting spirit and endurance, bringing out the heart of the buffalo among the pride of lions.

Banda had a superb season, having broken a record by becoming the first Zambian and second African to win the prestigious BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year Award.

The Copper Queens Captain beat Barcelona duo, Aitana Bonmati and Caroline Graham Hansen to win the BBC award.

Her exploits at the last Olympics saw Banda become the highest goal-scoring African player in Olympic history with 10 goals.

She was also a pillar for the Copper Queens during their Africa Cup of Nations Qualifiers, playing a key role as the team secured a spot in next years WAFCON tournament.

Following her record-breaking switch from Shanghai Shengli of China to USA’s Orlando Pride as the second most expensive woman in the world, Banda scored 13 goals for the club during the regular season and added four more in the play-offs. She was eventually named Most Valuable Player (MVP) after she inspired the Pride to their first NWSL title.

Meanwhile, the world’s most expensive female player Kundananji scored five goals and helped Bay FC to qualify for the NWSL play-offs.