ORLANDO, Fla. — Pride forward Barbra Banda is nominated for international soccer's 2024 Women's Ballon d'Or, France Football magazine announced Wednesday.

The Ballon d'Or is the sport's most prized individual honor and recognizes the player who is deemed to have had the best performance over the previous season.

Throughout the world, 30 women were nominated. The awards are voted for by a jury of men’s and women’s soccer journalists.

The winner will be announced Oct. 28 at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris.

“I want to say thank you for this opportunity. Without my teammates, I couldn’t be here," Banda said. "It’s through their effort and the hard work of everyone in Orlando that I’m able to do this, so I greatly appreciate everyone."

Since joining the Pride in March, Banda has totaled 12 goals in 14 games of league play, currently second best in the National Women's Soccer League and one away from tying the Pride’s single-season goal-scoring record. Banda is the first player in NWSL history to score 10 goals in 10 appearances and the second player in Pride history to score 10 or more goals in a single season after Marta had 13 in 2017. 

Her performance has helped the Pride remain undefeated through the first 18 matches so far in the NWSL, a record for Orlando. The Pride have already set team records for points in a season (44) and total wins (12) with eight regular-season matches remaining.

At the Paris Olympics, represented Zambia, her second stint on an Olympics roster. Banda had four goals and an assist, including a hat trick against Australia. With the three-goal performance, Banda became the first player in women's soccer to score three hat tricks at the Olympic Games. Her career Olympic goal total currently sits at 10 all time, tied for fourth in career Olympic goal-scoring history.

Before being acquired by Orlando with a club-record $740,000 transfer fee, Banda led Shanghai Shengli with 16 goals and five assists in 2023. In total, Banda scored 41 career goals across 52 career games in Shanghai. 

In the men's Ballon d'Or awards, Inter Miami and Argentine star Lionel Messi was omitted from this year's nominees.

He has won the award eight times.

Also excluded was five-time winner Cristiano Ronaldo. It was the first time since 2003 that neither player made the list.

Vinicius Junior, Rodri, Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland and Harry Kane are among the names nominated.

Messi, who left European soccer behind when moving from Paris Saint-Germain to Inter Miami last year, is still delivering at a high level and helped Argentina win the Copa America in July. The 37-year-old beat Manchester City striker Haaland to the award last year, but will not defend his title.