France-based Malawian football star Tabitha Chawinga continues to make history after winning the French Women’s First Division Player of the Month Award.
Chawinga, who plays for Paris St. Germain (PSG), made another remarkable history after she became the first Malawi female footballer to score in the UEFA Women’s Champions League match when she netted the first in their 2-2 draw in November 2023.
Following her outstanding performance, she also won the Golden Boot award after scoring 23 goals in 21 games for Inter-Milan becoming the first African woman to win the prestigious title in Italy.
Speaking with ProjectM in an interview, Lustica Gondwe, General Secretary for National Women’s Football in Malawi hailed Tabitha for the award, saying she is an example of what hard work and determination is all about.
“I must applaud her for putting Malawi on the map and she is a true motivation to girls. As a player she has been playing in different countries and whatever she is doing in those countries that reflects back on us as a country,” she explained.
Chawinga began playing football at the age of five and played with boys until aged 13 when she began playing for girls’ club known as DD Sunshine in the capital city, Lilongwe.
At age 18, Chawinga played for Swedish third-division club Krokom Dvärsätts IK where she earned the league’s golden boot after scoring 39 goals in 18 games.
In 2015, she also made history after becoming the first female footballer from Malawi to play for a European club.
Chawinga joined Kvarnsvedens IK in Sweden’s Elitettan in 2015.
In her debut for the club, she scored a brace in a 4-0 win over Linköpings FC which made the club to finish in the first place during the regular season with a 21–2–3 record.
