Naomi Girma is women’s soccer’s first million dollar player after moving to Chelsea from San Diego
Women’s soccer has its first million dollar player after United States defender Naomi Girma moved from the San Diego Wave to Chelsea on Sunday.
Chelsea announced the signing of Girma without disclosing a fee, but athletics and BBC were among those who reported the English champions spent £900,000 ($1.1 million) on the transfer.
That beats the $788,000 worldwide fee Bay FC paid to sign Zambian striker Rachael Kundannji from Madrid CFF last year.
It is the third time Chelsea have paid a world record fee for a player, following Denmark striker Pernilla Harder ($355,000) in 2020 and Colombia striker Mayra Ramirez ($542,000) last year.
The 24-year-old Girma was under contract with Wave until 2026. She drew interest from the French club Lyon and Arsenal, rivals of Chelsea in the Women’s Super League.
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Girma was unveiled on the pitch in front of Chelsea fans ahead of Sunday’s match against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge in the WSL.
“I’m so happy and so excited to be here. It doesn’t feel real,” Girma said.
“There are many things about Chelsea that made me want to come here – the culture, the winning mentality, the staff and the players. It’s the ultimate environment to learn and grow. Right now, that’s what I’m looking for. It was an easy choice for me.”
Girma made her debut for the national team in 2022. She appeared in 44 games with the United States and played on the team that won the gold medal at the Paris Olympics.
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Girma was named the American soccer player of the year for 2023. She also won the 2020 Young Player of the Year award. During the Olympics, American coach Emma Hayes, a former coach at Chelsea, called Girm “the best defender I” had ever seen. “
“Naomi is a world-class defender now entering the prime years of her career,” said Paul Green, head of Chelsea Women’s Football.
“Her storage on the ball, ability to read the game along with pace and athleticism will add top quality to an already very talented squad.”
Girma was the captain of the Stanford team that won the national championship in 2019. She led the wave to first place in the National Women’s Soccer League in 2022. In her first season, she was named league rookie of the year and Defender of the Year.
