2024 was the year, for women’s football and it is reflected in the transfer market. With some of the highest transfers in women’s football history happening just this year. Milene Domingues’ transfer from Fiamma Monza to Rayo Vallecano in 2002, costing €235,000 (equivalent to just under £150,000 at that time), held the record for the world’s most expensive women’s transfer until it was surpassed in 2020. 2024 saw new records being set from January and has changed the trajectory of women’s football.
Here are the top 10 most expensive transfers in women’s football history:
- Racheal Kundananji
Zambia’s Racheal Kundananji has made history as the most expensive women’s footballer ever, transferring from Madrid CFF to Bay FC for $860,000 (£685,000). Kundananji left Madrid CFF to join Bay FC hurtling across the record just set a month prior. At 23 years old, Kundananji becomes the first African player, male or female, to set a world transfer record.
- Barbra Banda
Just three weeks after Racheal Kundananji’s transfer to Bay FC, her fellow Zambian Barbra Banda became the second woman to command a fee of £581,000 with her move from Shanghai Shengli to Orlando Pride. The Zambian captain scored four goals at the Paris 2024 Olympics, including a first-half hat-trick against Australia, making her Africa’s all-time top scorer in Olympic football, male or female, with 10 goals.
- Ewa Pajor
FC Barcelona beat Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain in the race for VfL Wolfsburg star Ewa Pajor earlier this year, signing her for £425,000 making her the third most expensive transfer in women’s football history. The 27-year-old became the most expensive sale in Frauen-Bundesliga history.
- Mayra Ramirez
Just a month prior to Racheal Kundananji’s, signing with Chelsea FC from Levante UD for a fee of £425,000, Colombian striker Mayra Ramirez became the most expensive player in the history of women’s soccer. Ramirez has made 30 appearances for Colombia and was a member of the national team which reached the quarter-finals of the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
- Keira Walsh
The previous world record was held by English midfielder Kiera Walsh for two years. In 2022 she set the highest record of £400,000 with her move from Manchester City FC to FC Barcelona. Walsh slotted seamlessly into the Catalan team, with over 40 appearances for FC Barcelona she has helped the team win multiple titles including the 2023 UEFA Women’s Champions League and Liga F.
- Tarciane
The Houston Dash completed the transfer of defender Tarciane from Corinthians for £384,000 in January 2024. With this move, she became the 6th most expensive transfer in women’s football history at just 20 years old. The Brazilian centre-back has won three senior titles with Corinthians with 23 appearances, lifting the domestic title in back-to-back campaigns (2022-2023) and she also won the 2023 Conmebol Copa Libertadores Femenina.
- Lena Oberdorf
FC Bayern Munich signed Lena Oberdorf from Wolfsburg early this year with a fee of £339,000. The 22-year-old defensive midfielder has been handed a contract until June 30, 2028. Oberdorf, who signed with VFL Wolfsburg in 2020, has played 99 matches in the Frauen-Bundesliga and contributed to Wolfsburg’s title victory in the 2021-22 season. Internationally, she has earned 44 caps for Germany and was named the best young player of Euro 2022, where Germany reached the final but fell to England.
- Jill Roord
Jill Roord earned the 8th spot in most expensive transfers in women’s history with the move from Manchester City FC to VFL Wolfsburg in the summer of 2023 for a fee of £300,000. The midfielder played a crucial role in helping Wolfsburg reach the Champions League final before heading back to England as one of the Women’s Super League’s most valuable players. Roord had previously enjoyed two successful years with Arsenal FC, though her debut season with City was cut short by an ACL tear.
- Kyra Cooney-Cross
Kyra Cooney-Cross commanded the highest transfer fee Arsenal F.C has ever paid in women’s football, £297,000 for her move from Hammerby IF to Arsenal F.C. Since debuting in Australia’s top league at just 15, Cooney-Cross has developed a versatile and well-rounded skill set. Kyra made 30 appearances for the club and helped the team to win the Swedish Cup in the 2022/23 season.
- Geyse and Lindsey Horan
Lindsey Horan and Geyse both share the tenth spot for record-breaking transfers with both their transfer values equating to £254,000. Geyse established herself as a prodigious scorer in Brazil for her local club, Corinthians, before moving to Europe in 2017. In 2023 she moved from FC Barcelona to Manchester United. Lindsey Horan, the USA squad’s midfielder turned down an offer to join Paris Saint-Germain in 2012. After returning briefly to the U.S., she signed a major contract to move to Lyon from Portland Thorns in June 2023.
