Record transfer in women’s football: Chelsea’s Naomi Girma is the first for a million

Naomi Girma is considered the best central defender, and now she is also the most expensive footballer in the world. Her transfer from San Diego to Chelsea represents the boom and potential of her sport – but why her?

The league’s attention was already on Stamford Bridge in west London, the perfect stage for what was to come. It still took ten minutes until the kick-off of the top game in the Women’s Super League between Chelsea and Arsenal when Chelsea confirmed what had been talked about for days: Naomi Girma is moving from the USA from San Diego Wave to the English champions and current league leaders. For a rumored sum of 1.1 million dollars, or around one million euros. Girma is the most expensive player in the world and represents a new dimension in the transfer market. Never before has so much money been transferred for a footballer – especially not for a defensive specialist.