The bar has been raised twice in 2024 — so how long before we see the first $1 million, or even £1million ($1.3m), player in women’s football? And who will it be?
If you had said in January that Mayra Ramirez and Racheal Kundananji would be the record breakers, some observers would have been hard-pressed to tell you who they were.
But Chelsea and Bay FC had seen enough to invest £426,000 and £627,000 for their new signings respectively, 24-year-old Colombia forward Ramirez and Zambia striker Kundananji, 23.
It means the global transfer record has almost doubled since Keira Walsh became the most expensive player in 2022 when she signed for Barcelona.
The Athletic assesses who could be the first seven-figure player.
The bonafide star
In recent transfer windows, it has not necessarily been the biggest-name players who have had the largest amounts of money spent on them.
This is partly because contract lengths in the women’s game still tend to be relatively short, making it easy for players to run them down. Star names can usually be acquired for no transfer fee when their contracts end.
Chelsea, for example, signed Sam Kerr on a free transfer four years ago. Former Ballon d’Or winners Ada Hegerberg of Lyon and Alexia Putellas of Barcelona are out of contract this summer and…
