Malawi’s Temwa Chawinga has won the IFFHS Women’s World Goal Scorer Award 2023, setting an astounding record with 63 goals across various competitions for Wuhan Jiangda in China and her national team, while Zambia’s Barbra Banda’s 15 goals for Zambia gives her claim to the IFFHS Award of Women’s World Best International goals Scorer title in 2023.
Chawinga’s prowess in front of goal not only earned her the Golden Boot in the Chinese Super League but also triumphs in the Chinese National Cup and FA Cup, showcasing her remarkable consistency and lethal finishing abilities.
The Malawian’s stellar performance also highlighted the increasing presence of African talent on the global stage. Alongside her, Zambia’s Racheal Kundananji and Barbra Banda secured places in the top 10, asserting Africa’s strong representation in women’s football.
This remarkable achievement saw three players from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in the top rankings, out-perfoming other continents like CONCACAF and UEFA.
The Mexican MX league made a significant impact, with Veronica Corral and Kiana Palacios securing second and third positions respectively in the global rankings. However, it’s the African contingent led by Chawinga that made a resounding statement, emphasizing the growing influence and skill of players from the continent.
Samantha Kerr, Alicia Cervantes, and Tessa Wullaert, consistent goal scorers across multiple seasons, demonstrated their prowess once again. Still, it was Chawinga’s exceptional goal-scoring spree that captured the attention and admiration of the footballing world.
Barbra Banda Tops International Awards
After Ellen White (2021) and Samantha Kerr (2022), Zambia’s Barbra Banda is the third player to win the IFFHS Award of Women’s World Best International goals Scorer in 2023.
Banda’s award is distinguished from Chawinga’s in that it only counts goals scored in full international games for the player’s country, added to goals scored in any major international club competitions (excluding qualifiers).
Playing in China, Barbra Banda became the second Goalscorer in the Super League with Shangaï, but her award win comes entirely from goals scored for Zambia, scoring 15 international goals in 2023.
Those 15 goals allowed her to keep the World leadership for international goals in 2023, before IFFHS Women’s World Best Youth (U20) Player, Salma Paralluelo with 14 goals (6 for FC Barcelona, 8 for Spain) and last year winner Samantha Kerr with 13 goals (5 for Chelsea and 8 for Australia).
All continents are represented in the World Top 30, and two players from Zambia shine in the Top 5 in a list which does not include a South African player. Samantha Kerr (ranked 8 in 2021, 1 in 2022 and now 3 in 2023) shows again that she belongs to the History of women Goalscorers.
The Awards
The IFFHS rankings for 2023 showcased not just individual brilliance but also the rising influence of leagues worldwide. With Chawinga and Banda spearheading the charge, African players continue to leave an indelible mark on the global football landscape, inspiring generations and setting new standards of excellence in the beautiful game.
In the race for Best National Women’s Coach, Banyana Banyana coach, Desiree Ellis placed seventh, fresh off winning a fourth straight CAF Coach of the Year award.
Serina Wiegman beat World Champion Jorge Vilda to the title, winning IFFHS Women’s World Best National Coach for 2023 after taking England women’s national team to glory.
The International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) was founded in 1984 in Germany, and is today registered in Switzerland.
Photo Caption: Africa Shines at the IFFHS Awards as Malawi’s Temwa Chawinga and Zambia’s Barbra Banda lead the way, netting the most goals in their respective categories to give the African pride of honour in the season ending December 2023. Photo: CAF Women
(0 rating, 0 votes, rated)
Loading...
