Naomi Girma is the first player in women’s soccer after moving to Chelsea from San Diego

Women’s soccer has its first million-dollar player after United States defender Naomi Girma moved from the San Diego Wave to Chelsea on Sunday.

Chelsea announced the signing of Girma without disclosing the fee but the sporting and BBC He was among those who reported that the English champions had spent 900,000 pounds ($1.1 million) on the transfer.

That exceeds the world-record fee of $788,000 that Bay FC paid to sign Zambian striker Rachel Kundanange from Madrid CFF last year.

This is the third time Chelsea have paid a global fee for a player, following Denmark striker Pernille Harder ($355,000) in 2020 and Colombia striker Mayra Ramírez ($542,000) last year.

The 24-year-old Girmala was under contract with The Wave until 2026. She was attracting interest from French club Lyon and Arsenal, Chelsea’s rivals in the Women’s Super League.

Girma is presented on the field in front of Chelsea fans ahead of Sunday’s match against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge in the WSL.

“I’m very happy and really excited to be here. It doesn’t feel real,” Girma said.

“There are so many things about Chelsea that made me want to come here – the culture, the winning mentality, the staff and the players. It is a top environment to learn and grow. That is what I am looking forward to now. It was an easy choice for me.”

Girma made her debut for the national team in 2022. She appeared in 44 games for the United States and played on the team that won the gold medal at the Paris Olympics.

Girma was named USA Soccer Player of the Year for 2023. She also won the Federation’s Young Player of the Year Award in 2020. During the Olympics, USA coach Emma Hayes, a former coach at Chelsea, called Girma “the best senior defender I’ve ever seen” .

“Naomi is a world-class defender who has now reached the prime years of her career,” said Paul Green, Chelsea’s head of women’s football.

“Her composure on the ball, ability to read the game coupled with her pace and athleticism will add quality to an already very talented squad.”

Girma was captain of the Stanford team that won the national championship in 2019. She was taken No. 1 overall in the National Women’s Soccer League draft. She was named the league’s Rookie of the Year and Defender of the Year in her first season.