image source, Getty Images
Rachel Kundanandzi scored 33 goals in 43 LaLiga matches for Madrid CFF.
Bay FC, new entrants to the National Women's Football League, have signed Zambian national forward Rachel Kundananji from Madrid CFF for what is said to be a world record fee.
Kundanandji, who scored 33 goals in 43 Liga appearances for Madrid, has agreed a four-year contract with an option for a further year.
Bay FC is a new team in the NWSL, with 2024 being their first season.
If his transfer to the United States is confirmed, Kundanandji will become the first African player, male or female, to break the world transfer record.
But that would be a distant second to the landmark deal that brought Kundananji from Spain to San Jose, where Bay FC would play home games.
“The people of Zambia will be surprised but very happy,” Kundananji told BBC Sport Africa.
“What I want to give you is [Bay FC] What the fans want is to enjoy the game, enjoy watching me play and see my goals.”
Kundanandji started her career with Indeni Roses in Zambia before moving to Kazakhstan's BIIK Kazhigurt in 2019, where she played in the Women's Champions League for the first time.
Two years later, she joined Spanish top team Eibar and scored eight league goals in her only season with the Basque club, earning the speedy forward a move to Madrid.
She scored 25 goals in 29 league games last season, helping Madrid CFF to their best-ever finish in fifth place, and added another eight goals in 14 league games this season.
Kundanandzi also played and scored in the 2023 Women's World Cup, scoring 10 goals in 18 games for Zambia.
The latest big-money acquisition brings record spending in the women's game, with global governing body FIFA reporting total transfer fees in January were $2.1 million, an increase of 165.5% on January 2023. Ta.
This is despite the number of international transfers increasing by just 0.3% compared to 12 months ago.
