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

She received the most votes from readers of the BBC Sport website after a five-player shortlist was announced last month.

The shortlist -based on performances from September 2023 to August 2024 - was selected by a large panel of experts involved in football around the world, including coaches, players, administrators and non-BBC journalists.

Banda who just help Orlando Pride win their first NWSL title scored four goals for the African nation in the women's football tournament at the Olympic Games Paris 2024, including a first-half hat-trick against Australia, to become the leading African goalscorer in Olympic history (10).

In the 2024 National Women's Soccer League, Banda scored 13 goals for the Pride during the regular season and the goalscoring form continued deep into the playoffs. The Zambian netted four more goals including the winner in the championship final on Saturday, helping to lift Orlando Pride to their first-ever NWSL title.

Banda was also named Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the North American league, and is now only the second African footballer to win the BBC's prize after Asisat Oshooala in 2015.

List Of All Winners Of The Award

2015: Asisat Oshoala (Nigeria)

2016: Kim Little ( Scotland)

2017: Ada Hegerberg ( Norway)

2018: Lucy Bronze ( England)

2019: Ada Hegerberg ( Norway)

2020: Lucy Bronze ( England)

2021: Vivianne Miedema ( Netherlands)

2022: Beth Mead ( England)

2023: Mary Earps ( England)

2024: Barbra Banda (Zambia)