United States women’s national team star Naomi Girma has signed for Chelsea in what’s being reported as a world record fee for a women’s footballer.
Girma was unveiled before Chelsea’s WSL home game against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
The USWNT center back will instantly become one of the stars of the WSL and the women’s game in Europe.
The moment the world has been waiting for. Naomi Girma in Chelsea blue. 💙😍 pic.twitter.com/1w8aSZTdfa
— Chelsea FC Women (@ChelseaFCW) January 26, 2025
It has been reported that the fee Chelsea paid is a world record fee for a female footballer, according to multiple reports. The Athletic’s Meg Linehan reported a $1.1 million fee for San Diego Wave star Girma on Tuesday.
The deal gives Chelsea two of the very best center backs on the planet with Girma and Millie Bright.
[ RELATED: PST speaks with Bronze, Bright about Chelsea goals ]
The fee reportedly grew as two Champions League teams with USWNT stars — Chelsea and Lyon — jostled for her signature. But Chelsea’s Catarina Macario and Mia Fisher will get a familiar club teammate while Lindsey Horan and Sofia Huerta continue their UWCL campaigns without Girma.
The 24-year-old center back is considered by many to be the best center back in the world, with 44 caps at the age of 24. She’s won Olympic gold, the NWSL Shield, and the College Cup in her career, let alone a litany of individual honors including membership in the 2204 FIFA The Best XI.
What does this mean for Naomi Girma, USWNT, Chelsea women, American soccer?
This is a huge deal for women’s soccer, undoubtedly, but what does it mean for the player and her two teams?
The National Women’s Soccer League will now have sold the two most expensive players in history, as Bay FC sold Racheal Kundananji to Real Madrid in 2024. European club soccer has increased its attention on the women’s game in the last half-decade or so, and the Women’s Super League in particular wants to be known as the best women’s league in the world. Most of the USWNT player pool plays its club soccer domestically but Girma would bring the number of active USWNT stars in Europe closer to 10. It will also raise the price of bringing top players to the NWSL.
Girma has been the best center back in the world in this writer’s opinion, and almost any pundit worldwide would at least class her in a group with new club teammate Millie Bright (England) and Barcelona’s Irene Paredes of (Spain). She’ll sharpen her tools against the best of the best as Sonia Bompastor looks to bring Chelsea to a UWCL and WSL double. The Women’s Champions League knockout round draw is February 7, while Chelsea have a healthy lead on the WSL table in a bid to win six-straight titles and keep their crown in Year No. 1 without USWNT coach Emma Hayes.
