Women’s soccer reached a significant milestone with the transfer of United States defender Naomi Girma to Chelsea, making her the sport’s first million-dollar player. The English champions secured Girma from San Diego Wave for a reported fee of $1.1 million, setting a new world record in women’s soccer transfers. This surpasses the previous record of $788,000 paid by Bay FC for Zambia striker Rachael Kundananji.
Chelsea has a history of breaking transfer records, having previously signed Denmark forward Pernille Harder for $355,000 in 2020 and Colombia forward Mayra Ramirez for $542,000 in the previous year. Girma, aged 24, was a highly sought-after player, with interest from clubs like Lyon and Arsenal, Chelsea’s Women’s Super League rival.
