Her nomination for a Ballon d’Or is a great inspiration to a generation of girls aspiring for greatness in sports as she has send a clear message that it is possible.
“I am happy. More blessed, to say the least,” she says. “God has been good.”
History has been in Malawian football. She is the first one. Her name is on everyone’s lips and her country is rooting for her to win.
Malawi’s female lethal striker and goalscoring machine Tabitha Chawinga has made history for becoming the first Malawian female footballer to be nominated for football’s glittering award, Ballon d’Or award.
The Malawi international, who has since signed for Lyon, scored two vital goals in the narrow semi-final win over Paris FC and shone in all competitions to rack up some insane numbers across the board.
A Champions League semi-final exit, however, might hurt her chances of being near the top of the Ballon d’Or rankings, but she helped her team get over the line in the chase for silverware and was the best player in France last season.
The Scorchers forward, Tabitha Chawinga, was named in the best 11 of the 2023 – 2024 Season UEFA Women Team of the Year which was selected by the Technical Observer panel.
Chawinga, who had been on a year-loan deal at Paris Saint Germaine (Womens) from Chinese outfit, Wuhan Jianghan University, finished la with a golden boot in the French Women’s First Division League last season.
This was her second successive golden boot in Europe after a similar feat with Italian giants Inter Milan in the Women’s Serie A last year.
Earlier this year, in June, Fifa president Gianni Infantino described Malawi women’s national team captain Tabitha Chawinga as an inspiration to girls not only in Malawi but across the world.
The world football governing body boss made this declaration after meeting the PSG forward in June this year in capital, Lilongwe during his visit to Malawi.
Said Infantino: “Very pleased and happy to meet Tabitha. She is a great football player, having played for top teams and playing for a top team in the world.”
‘African loyalty‘
Chawinga is not the only African to be nominated for the prestigious award, there are other African footballers who are in contest for football’s most prestigious individual trophies after they were included in the nominees for the men and women’s Ballon d’Or awards, which were announced on Wednesday.
Nigerian forward Ademola Lookman has been nominated in the men’s award while Zambian captain Barbra Banda and Malawian striker Tabitha Chawinga have made the women’s shortlist.
South African goalkeeper Ronwen Williams is the fourth African in contention and makes some piece of history with his nomination as he becomes the first goalkeeper from the continent to be nominated for the Ballon d’Or Yashin Trophy.
The award, which was won in 2023 by Argentina’s World Cup-winning goalkeeper Emi Martinez, is awarded to the best goalkeeper.
Winners in each category will be determined through a vote by a jury of journalists from each of the top 100 countries in FIFA’s world ranking.
The Ballon d’Or ceremony is due to take place in Paris on October 28.
Born on May 19, 1996, in Rumphi District in northern Malawi, Chawinga is the third of five children born to her parents.
She began playing football at age five and played with boys until age 13 when she began playing for girls’ club, DD Sunshine in the capital city, Lilongwe.
Already at this age she was forced to undress because “Her opponents did not believe she was female because of her physical appearance and how well she played.
Her sister Temwa Chawinga is also a professional footballer.
“Very pleased and happy to meet Tabitha Chawinga”.
Gianni Infantino
Fifa president
