Why Chelsea forked out a women’s world-record fee to sign Naomi Girma – and how the American has Blues icon Emma Hayes raving over her

The match was deep into extra time when Alessia Russo, ball at her feet, surged towards the opposition’s goal. With only one defender left to beat, the outcome seemed inevitable – get past her and her side would inevitably be crowned champions.

That defender though was Naomi Girma, Chelsea‘s new $1.1million (£890,000) signing. Keeping her balance, the centre-back stood tall as Russo advanced into the penalty area. Unfazed by Russo’s step over, Girma retained her balance and stuck out her left leg as the English striker got her shot away.

The ball flew off Girma’s leg and out for a throw-in, and 20 minutes later she was celebrating Stanford University’s crowning moment, beating Russo’s North Carolina Tar Heels on penalties, the Stanford centre-back netting the third to pick up the 2019 College Cup.

After looking to the stands to where her family and friends were sat, many from South Bay’s Ethiopian community, Girma said, ‘That was, by far, the best moment of my life.’

It was game-changing moments like these that USA head coach Emma Hayes recognised in Girma, causing the former Chelsea boss to hail her as the ‘best defender I’ve ever seen’ after Girma played a pivotal role in securing the States a fifth Olympic gold in Paris last summer in Hayes’ first tournament in charge. 

Girma was the only outfield player to feature in every minute of the campaign and completed more passes, more carries and more clearances than any other individual at the tournament, while her 95 per cent pass accuracy was also the highest by any player.

The Blues forked out £890,000 to sign the 24-year-old defender from San Diego Wave

Former Chelsea boss Emma Hayes, who manages Girma for the USA, called her the ‘best defender I’ve ever seen’ 

Hayes added: ‘Ever. She’s got everything: poise, composure, she defends, she anticipates, she leads.’

There is a certain symmetry then that Girma has headed to west London, where Hayes lifted 14 major trophies during her 12-year tenure.

The 24-year-old has joined the Blues from San Diego Wave for a world-record fee of $1.1 million (£890,000), easily surpassing the previous record of around $860,000 (£691,000) paid by Bay FC for Racheal Kundananji. And this fee is nearly double the previous record for an English club set by Chelsea when they signed Colombia forward Mayra Ramirez for €450,000 (£384,000 at the time) in January last year.

Under the leadership of Sonia Bompastor, Girma joins her former Stanford University and USA teammate Catarina Macario and will reinforce Chelsea’s near-faultless grip on the WSL trophy midway through the season. They are seven points clear at the top having defeated Arsenal on Sunday.

Considering the last five titles have never been won by more than two points, it’s no surprise that there is talk that the title is already theirs, even though Bompastor may not be saying it yet. Girma, who was unveiled before the match, would have been licking her lips from the sidelines at the sight of Russo flying towards Chelsea goalkeeper Hannah Hampton’s goal. The rivalry can resume.

Girma’s tackling ability in that moment against the now Gunners’ No 23 is not a one-off but a constant feature of her game. Her positioning is adept, and, beyond that, she can also deliver crisp, line-cutting diagonal balls, not dissimilar to Alex Greenwood’s very best. Girma had the highest pass accuracy in the 2024 NWSL season of players to attempt 600+ passes and was named NWSL defender of the year in 2022 and 2023.

And her new manager was full of praise after the Arsenal victory, saying: ‘She’s a really talented player. She will bring a lot of quality to the squad, even if the squad is already talented. Having Naomi join the team will bring even more options for me, being able to play a back three, back four defence system.’

Pressed on her technical attributes, Bompastor said: ‘Naomi is a defender who is really comfortable with the ball. She’s able to have a big impact because she’s comfortable passing the ball, kicking short, kicking long. She’s also able to dribble with the ball.

Girma has already amassed 44 caps for the United States since debuting in 2022

She came through the football programme at Stanford University before joining San Diego

Girma has been praised for her leadership, calmness, football intelligence, pace, and passing

‘Also out of position she’s also a very smart player. She has a lot of speed and so is able to play really high up the pitch and recover the ball with the space behind her back.’

To many on this side of the Atlantic though, Girma is a new phenomenon.

Her story is one of family, community and undeniable talent. Born in in San Jose, California to Ethiopian-immigrant parents, Naomi’s father, Girma Aweke, fled East Africa to the States in the 1980s due to the outbreak of civil war while her mother, Seble Demissie, also emigrated from Ethiopia, but for education purposes.

Her father played a pivotal role in shaping her love of football. He formed a grassroots club – Maleda Soccer – in San Jose to provide coaching for the local Ethiopian community, and this is where Naomi first fell into the sport. She described how her father made it ‘such a fun and safe space for me to fall in love with soccer’

From there, things took off for Girma. She joined the more competitive Central Valley Crossfire, where she earned her first call-up to the United States Under 14s team. 

Next came Pioneer High School, followed by Stanford University, before she landed her first professional contract with the newly-formed San Diego Wave where she was selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NWSL Draft.

‘I don’t think I’ve met anybody that’s as good as her and doesn’t realize they’re as good as what she is,’ said former Manchester United boss Casey Stoney, Girma’s head coach at San Diego Wave. 

‘She’s so humble. Humility is a big thing for her but I’m trying to get her to realize how good she is at the same time, so she plays with that confidence every single week.’

Girma has had to overcome hardship, such as the death of her best friend Katie Meyer in 2022

Chelsea boss Sonia Bompastor waxed lyrical about her new signing, though she is not as well known to an English audience

Her grounded nature has carried her into all walks of her life. Rocked by the death by suicide of her Stanford teammate and best friend, Katie Meyer, in 2022, Girma has actively campaigned for better mental health provisions for the footballing community. Her collaboration with the charity Common Goal providing tangible support for people in need.

Less than a month after Meyer’s death, Girma made her debut for the United States. She has since established herself as a first-choice centre-back in Emma Hayes’ squad, earning 44 appearances for her national team. In the face of adversity, Girma stood tall to the challenge.

‘She seems like a lovely person as well so she’ll be a nice addition to the team’, her new Chelsea teammate, Aggie Beever-Jones summed up of Girma after Sunday’s match.

It seems that everyone is excited for her arrival, and the WSL is fortunate to call her one of their own.