Zambia's Kundananji Sets Football Transfer Record

Zambian forward Racheal Kundananji has made history after becoming the most expensive female player in the history of football.

In an unprecedented $860,000 dollar deal, Kundananji will move from her 18-month spell at Madrid CFF to the San Francisco-based US team Bay FC. The 23-year-old has become the first African player in history to break a world transfer record.

Beginning her professional career for Indeni Roses in the Copperbelt Women League, Kundananji signed her first professional contract at 18. Her prolific goalscoring helped her bring back-to-back victory to the elite BIIK Kazygurt in Kazakhstan in 2019 and 2020, earning acclaim for her “raw speed, tactical awareness, and physicality.”

Kundananji went on to become the first African to win GOAL50 Women’s Footballer of the Year Award last year. Fellow forward Prisca Chilufya praised her teammate's hard work and determination, saying these qualities are why she’s been “dominating in every league she has played in.”

Growing up, Kundananji made makeshift balls from flour sacks, keeping her soccer playing a secret from her family due to stigma around girls playing football. Kundananji’s high-profile move has others hoping that this will boost the growth of women’s football in Zambia, with the footballer vowing to continue being a role model for young aspiring footballers.

Committed to improve Bay FC’s rankings, the athlete reflected on this record-breaking moment: “This is the first one and I know there are more coming. I will do my level best and fight every time I play, like I always do.”