In recent years, women’s football has experienced remarkable growth, shattering attendance records globally and securing lucrative television deals at rising prices.
As a result of this surge in revenue, player valuations are soaring. In just the winter of 2024, the women’s football transfer record was broken twice, and it has recently been surpassed again. A U.S. defender now holds the record for the most expensive transfer in women’s football history. Let’s take a look at the top five highest transfers in the sport’s history.
Keira Walsh: €470k
From a young age, Peter Walsh recognized his daughter’s innate talent. Their family vacations to Spain, where the young Keira would outshine other kids during practice, played a significant role in honing her impeccable skills. A lifelong City fan, Walsh almost made the move to Barcelona, the birthplace of the style she had been playing since childhood. She seamlessly joined the Catalan giants, undeterred by the world-record €470k transfer fee.
Mayra Ramirez: €500k
At just 16, Mayra Ramirez already competed at Colombia’s highest level, but she wasn’t an immediate standout in a league brimming with young talent. Despite this, the Levante striker was one of only two players to end the 2022–2023 Liga F season with double figures for both goals and assists, yet Barcelona’s dominance was undeniable. Following Sam Kerr’s season-ending ACL injury, Chelsea fast-tracked Ramirez’s transfer to West London in January 2024, marking one of the most expensive transfers in women’s football.
Barbra Banda: €681k
In spring 2024, Zambia saw two of the highest-priced players in women’s football history. Barbra Banda became the third woman to secure a transfer exceeding €500k when she joined Orlando Pride, just weeks after her fellow Zambian Racheal Kundananji moved to Bay FC.
Racheal Kundananji: €805k
Before shattering the world transfer record in February 2024, Racheal Kundananji’s football journey began on the streets of Chililabombwe, where she played with a makeshift ball made of plastic bags. Always focused on her goals, she moved to Europe in 2019 with Kazakhstan’s BIIK Kazygurt. Three years later, Spanish side Eibar came calling, and although offered five times her current wage to stay in Kazakhstan, she joined Liga F to compete at a higher level. Her exceptional skills soon caught the eye of Madrid CFF, one of Spain’s biggest clubs, and in 2022, they signed her. After just two seasons, Bay FC broke the bank to acquire the versatile forward for a record fee.
Naomi Girma: €1.06m
American defender Naomi Girma made history with her record-breaking transfer to Chelsea for $1.1 million (€1.06 million or £890,000), becoming the most expensive female footballer of all time. Her move surpassed the previous high-profile transfers of Zambian internationals Racheal Kundananji and Barbra Banda to the NWSL in the winter of 2024.
