Zambia ahead Racheal Kundananji turns into the most costly feminine footballer as she indicators for US facet Bay FC.
Zambia ahead Racheal Kundananji has turn into the most costly participant within the historical past of ladies’s soccer after signing for Nationwide Girls’s Soccer League (NWSL) enlargement crew Bay FC.
The US membership, based mostly within the San Francisco Bay Space, signed the 23-year-old from Spanish membership Madrid CFF for a price of $788,000.
Bay FC will play within the NWSL for the primary time this 12 months, changing into the league’s 14th crew. The common season begins on March 16.
The deal additionally represents the primary time an African participant, male or feminine, has damaged a world switch report.
Kundananji has signed a four-year contract with an possibility for a fifth 12 months with the signing coming simply two weeks after Nigeria’s Asisat Oshoala, who gained the African Footballer of the Yr award for the sixth time in December, signed from Barcelona.
The Copper Queen @KKundananji has arrived! 👑
The Zambian ahead joins #BayFC from @MadridCFF.
Learn the announcement at: https://t.co/S5koi2QcV6
#WeCameToPlay pic.twitter.com/xqNt4YN7zw— Bay Soccer Membership (@wearebayfc) February 13, 2024
‘A pure means to attain’
Kundananji performed for Zambia in final 12 months’s Girls’s World Cup. Total, she has 10 objectives in 18 video games together with her nationwide crew.
She scored 33 objectives in 43 Liga F video games since becoming a member of Madrid CFF in 2022.
“Racheal has a composure in entrance of purpose and a pure means to attain with several types of finishes and from varied places,” Bay FC basic supervisor Lucy Rushton mentioned in an announcement.
“We imagine she is going to proceed to develop and develop at our membership, showcasing her skillset and including to the array of thrilling attacking expertise we have now right here.”
Kundananji arrived at Madrid CFF from Sociedad Deportiva Eibar and rapidly grew to become one of many membership’s high gamers.
“[She] improved with our membership to turn into an amazing ahead and we hope for the most effective in her subsequent skilled journey,” the Spanish membership mentioned. “Madrid CFF as soon as once more demonstrates that it is without doubt one of the finest golf equipment in attracting and incubating expertise and can proceed working with that purpose sooner or later.”
Kundananji’s arrival with the crew is pending the approval of her visa and worldwide switch certificates.
The switch tops the reported price of almost $500,000 that Chelsea paid final month to Spanish membership Levante for Maya Ramirez.
