American Club Bay FC have signed Copper Queens forward Racheal Kundananji from Spanish side Madrid CFF for a world record fee worth 625 thousand British pounds.
The transfer makes Kundananji the most expensive female football player in history and the first African player across both men and women categories to ever break the transfer world record.
The world record fee eclipses English star Keira Walsh’s 400 thousand pound switch from Manchester City to Barcelona in 2022.
Bay FC, based in the San Francisco Bay Area which is Northern California, announced the acquisition in a media release published on the club’s official social media account.
The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) side however did not disclose the transfer fee.
But multiple renowned international media platforms have confirmed the fee.
Kundananji will reportedly earn 2 million United States Dollars across her contract duration of three years.
Bay FC General Manager, Lucy Rushton said Kundananji will be at the side
until 2027 with an option for staying at the club for an additional year.
“Following the transfer, the forward was signed to a contract through the 2027 season with an option for the 2028 campaign. She will join the team and be added to the roster pending the receipt of her P-1 visa and International Transfer Certificate (ITC). Kundananji will occupy an international roster spot,” Rushton said.
Rushton praised Kundananji for her goal scoring abilities.
The club’s General Manager expressed confidence that the forward will continue to develop at the team.
“Racheal has a composure in-front of goal and a natural ability to score with different types of finishes and from various locations. We believe she will continue to grow and develop at our club, showcasing her skillset and adding to the array of exciting attacking talent we have here,” said Rushton.
Bay FC’s Director of Scouting & Strategy, Austin Buchanan, who has tracked Racheal for many years, added, “This is the culmination of a lot of work behind the scenes. Due to the club and ownership group’s continued support and drive to raise the bar across women’s sport, we are able to bring a true young talent like Racheal to the league. After what has been over a year’s worth of work seen come to fruition, I cannot wait to welcome Racheal to Bay FC and the NWSL.”
In August 2022, Kundananji signed with Madrid CFF, scoring 25 goals during her first season with the club in the 2022-23 campaign.
Her 25 goals ranked second-most in the league as she helped Madrid to a fifth-place finish.
During the 2023-24 season, Kundananji appeared in 14 matches, recording eight goals and four assists.
Prior to her arrival at Madrid, she was with SD Eibar in Spain, where she tallied eight goals in 21 appearances.
Before making the move to Europe, Kundananji signed her first professional contract abroad with BIIK Kazygurt in Kazakhstan at the age of 18.
She helped the team win back-to-back league championships in 2019 and 2020.
In 2018, Kundananji played for Indeni Roses of Zambia’s Copperbelt Women’s League, scoring 21 goals in 18 games as the team won the league title.
At the international level, Kundananji represented Zambia at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics.
