Racheal Kundananji took Liga F by storm last season with her adept and lethal goal-scoring skills which left defenders sunken and disheveled.
“Seeing other Africans in the other leagues doing their best, pushed me to also do the same,” she told The Equalizer. “There are some players I admire and most of them talk to me and tell me to keep on working hard and never give up.”
Kundananji finished second on the top-scorer list of Liga F, with 25 goals to her name — only three goals shy of Levante’s Alba Redondo. She etched her name in Liga F history after ending Barca Femeni’s 64-game unbeaten run and would be counting on that moxie against “big teams” in the World Cup.
Her partnership with Barbara Banda and Grace Chanda will prove pivotal in keeping Zambia’s dreams alive of making a mark as debutants in this Women’s World Cup.
Her Roots in Kalulushi
Kundananji grew up in Kalulushi, which is located in the country’s Copperbelt Province, with her mother. Despite the constant relocations around the country, she still enjoyed playing football with boys, a term referred to as “Kampombwa” in Zambia.
Due to the sparse media coverage of women’s football, she “never knew there was women’s football in Zambia” she told The Equalizer.