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.
Girma, who was under contract with the Wave until 2026, expressed her excitement about joining Chelsea, citing the club’s culture, winning mentality, and talented staff and players as key factors in her decision. She made her debut for the U.S. national team in 2022 and was part of the squad that clinched the gold medal at the Paris Olympics.
Recognized for her exceptional talent, Girma was named U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year in 2023 and previously received the federation’s Young Player of the Year award in 2020. During the Olympics, she earned high praise from U.S. coach Emma Hayes, who described her as “the best defender I’ve ever seen.”
Chelsea’s head of women’s football, Paul Green, lauded Girma as a world-class defender entering the prime of her career, highlighting her composure on the ball, game-reading abilities, pace, and athleticism as valuable additions to the team. Girma’s impressive track record includes captaining the Stanford team to a national championship in 2019 and being selected as the top pick in the 2022 National Women’s Soccer League draft, where she was named Rookie of the Year and Defender of the Year in her debut season.
