Most expensive player in football
New US club ensures world record transfer
February 14, 2024, 8:48 a.m
Compared to men’s football, the transfer fees for women are a piece of cake, but they are increasing immensely. A new club in the US professional league is now paying more than ever before. For this purpose, Bay FC secured the services of Rachael Kundananji from Zambia. The DFB team has already had to experience their skills.
The most expensive female footballer in history comes from Zambia: For Rachael Kundananji, the new US team Bay FC is paying more in transfer fees than anyone has ever paid for a player. The Spanish first division club Madrid CFF will receive a base fee of 735,000 euros for the 23-year-old, with success-related bonus payments totaling around 70,000 euros, the sum can rise to 810,000 euros.
This sum significantly exceeds the previous record. Just this winter, Chelsea FC paid DU Levante 450,000 euros plus up to 50,000 euros in bonuses for the Colombian Mayra Ramirez. Previously, around 400,000 euros had flown for the Englishwoman Keira Walsh between her new club FC Barcelona and Manchester City in 2022. Still a piece of cake compared to the men: the world record for men is held by the Brazilian Neymar, for whom Paris St. Germain transferred a gigantic 222 million euros to FC Barcelona in 2017.
But the increase in transfer fees is immense. Until a few years ago, there was virtually no money flowing into the Bundesliga. Lina Magull, who had just moved from FC Bayern to Inter Milan, once said in the “Mittags bei Henning” podcast that her transfer from VfL Wolfsburg to SC Freiburg in 2017 cost something, but that she paid the sum herself. Many club changes still take place without a transfer fee. But a record is also on the horizon in the Bundesliga: FC Bayern could pay rivals VfL Wolfsburg 200,000 to 250,000 euros for the spectacular move of world star Lena Oberdorf, according to reports.
Bay FC is stepping in financially
“She is a tremendous talent with dynamic attacking qualities and an incredible physical profile,” said manager Lucy Rushton: “Racheal has a composure in front of goal and a natural ability to finish with different types of finishes and from different positions hold true.” Austin Buchanan, Bay FC’s head of scouting, said: “This is the culmination of a lot of work that has gone on behind the scenes.”
In the Spanish league, Kundananji scored eight goals in 14 games this season. And she is also successful for Zambia, where she scores eight goals in 13 games – one of them against Germany. At the DFB team’s botched dress rehearsal before the debacle of the World Cup last summer, she scored in the Africans’ 3-2 win and added another goal. UEFA awarded her second place for 2023 based on the addition of her goals in all UEFA competitions and the leading leagues in Europe: her combined 34 goals were only bettered by Australia and Chelsea superstar Sam Kerr (37).
Kunananji’s new club Bay FC is making huge inroads into the market. The club will compete in the US women’s league NWSL for the first time in the 2024 season. Unlike in Europe, the franchises do not have to achieve several promotions from lower leagues, but are allowed to enter the league directly. Thanks to financially strong investors, the Zambian is not the only prominent name in the squad: With Asisat Oshoala from FC Barcelona, the team from the San Francisco region in California signed the five-time African footballer of the year. Bay FC also secured the services of Arsenal’s Jennifer Beattie.