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Tag: Soccers

  • Girma deal marks women’s soccer’s first $1 million transfer. Plus, recent NWSL moves we like


    Full Time Newsletter | This is The Athletic’s weekly women’s soccer newsletter. Sign up here to receive Full Time directly in your inbox.

    You’re an All-Star. Go get paid! Emily Olsen here with Meg Linehan and Jeff Rueter — welcome to Full Time!

    $1 Million Transfer

    Chelsea finalizing deal for USWNT’s Naomi Girma

    We have long known that U.S. women’s national team defender Naomi Girma is invaluable.

    She has led the San Diego Wave and the U.S. in her stalwart center back role. She has an NCAA championship title, an NWSL Shield, two Defender of the Year awards and an Olympic gold medal.

    USWNT head coach Emma Hayes has called her the “best defender” she’s seen. “Ever.”

    And now Chelsea Women are putting down a record-breaking investment to bring Girma to their team: a $1.1 million transfer fee, as Meg reported earlier today. The Women’s Super League side has agreed to terms with San Diego, where Girma is under contract until 2026, but her new contract with Chelsea is not yet finalized.

    Chelsea previously held the transfer record in 2024 when they signed Colombian striker Mayra Ramirez for more than half a million dollars from Levante in Liga F. That record stood for all of a couple of weeks before Bay FC nearly doubled the price tag, signing Racheal Kundananji and sending a $862,000 transfer fee to Madrid CFF.

    Girma was a significant factor for the U.S. in its quest for Olympic gold last summer. But before that, she was the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NWSL Draft, earning Rookie of the Year and her first Defender of the Year title in her first season.

    Chelsea weren’t the only ones chasing the 24-year-old. Current French leaders Lyon were also courting Girma and offered upward of $1 million to San Diego.

    What makes a million-dollar defender?

    Strikers are measured by their goals, creative midfielders by their assists. Goalkeepers can point to saves and shutouts.

    Even with the advancement of metrics like expected goals, expected assists and expected goals prevented, the work of a world-class defender has been far more elusive to illustrate with numbers.

    So how do you quantify a talent like Girma, who was one of the few bright spots in a forgettable World Cup for the U.S. and again in 2024 despite the San Diego Wave’s form?

    Stats like tackles and interceptions (and saves, for goalkeepers) are more indicative of a team under constant duress than individual quality. But Girma is hard to bypass.

    • She’s very successful when she attempts a tackle.
    • She’s crafty with a toe poke.
    • While her overall passing is stellar — 90.3% accuracy, third-best in the sample — it’s her ability to break lines accurately that’ll make her coveted by clubs of the highest standard.

    Throw in her captain’s mentality and affable personality, and it’s no wonder that Girma is Option A for any Champions League contender needing to upgrade in the back.

    Meg’s Corner

    Girma’s record transfer fee should shock no one

    We always knew the $1 million barrier would be broken for women’s football transfer fees sooner rather than later — but you also really shouldn’t be surprised that it’s Naomi Girma setting the record either. Girma’s followed in the footsteps of center backs and leaders before her, like Carla Overbeck and Becky Sauerbrunn, but she’s also shaping the present and future of women’s football on the field and with this transfer fee.

    I think it’s worth it to take a beat and contextualize the $1.1 million fee amid the state of transfers across global soccer. While FIFA has yet to release its report for 2024, we can at least look at the mid-year report from last year’s summer window.

    • $6.4 billion spent on transfer fees in men’s professional soccer.
    • $6.8 million spent on international transfers in the women’s game. (I’d say “only,” but that’s more than double what was spent in the 2023 mid-year window. Progress!)

    Girma’s transfer fee from Chelsea would have been good for about 16% of that window’s total alone — and it’s safe to assume that with this new benchmark, there will be continued exponential growth for international transfers.

    NWSL teams have been major players in this market, from Bay FC making their move for Kundananji to Orlando Pride adding NWSL Championship MVP Barbra Banda, but it also still benefits the NWSL that multiple European teams were ready to pony up a cool mil for an American star.

    The latest from the “Full Time” podcast: New Canada women’s coach Casey Stoney shares her vision for the team.


    EM Dash, Geoff Burke / Imagn Images

    Notables

    Moves I like

    This NWSL offseason marks a new era.

    As of last Wednesday, teams can no longer trade players without their consent under the new CBA — negotiated for and ratified by the league, players and clubs last year. Gone are the days of trade windows, rookie drafts and restricted free agency. Deals can happen at any point until October’s roster freeze deadline.

    U.S. emerging talent Jaedyn Shaw took full advantage of the rule, completing a trade from the Wave to the North Carolina Courage last week — though she had requested a move (specifically to North Carolina) more than a year ago.

    The rule changes have led to quite the active offseason, which calls for another edition of Jeff Rueter’s “Moves I like”:

    • Shaw to Courage: Shaw clearly sees a role she can own in Sean Nahas’ side. Along with Ashley Sanchez, the pair could be a lethal two-headed creative machine, each capable of taking their shots. She’ll be a welcome addition to a team that just lost former league MVP Kerolin in free agency.
    • Yazmeen Ryan to Houston Dash: Players with Ryan’s versatility and consistency are in short supply, and having her on a fresh contract bodes well for the Dash’s long-overdue rebuild. I also like that Houston has brought Delanie Sheehan in from free agency, ensuring Ryan’s acclimation is sped up thanks to the pair’s familiarity from their time at Gotham.
    • Honorable mention: Angel City re-signed two-time World Cup winner Christen Press to a one-year contract extension. The 36-year-old was Angel City’s first-ever signing on its inaugural roster in 2021. The team also recently hired former NWSL head coach Mark Parsons as its general manager.

    Naeher wins another award

    We are not done celebrating Alyssa Naeher — even if she retired from international soccer in November.

    On Saturday, U.S. Soccer named the former women’s national team goalkeeper its Female Player of the Year for 2024. It’s hard to argue with the accolades from her very successful year:

    • Olympic gold medal
    • CONCACAF W Gold Cup inaugural champion (saving and taking a penalty kick)
    • SheBelieves Cup winner
    • The Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year award

    The 36-year-old earned her latest nod thanks to a vote from national team coaches, players, U.S. Soccer board members, the U.S. Soccer Athletes’ Council, NWSL head coaches, fans and select media members and administrators.

    Full Time First Looks

    Parting message: Former Arsenal and Bay FC defender Jen Beattie is retiring, the 33-year-old announced today. Beattie reflected on her career as she enters a new phase of life, including her World Cup goal at Parc des Princes, sharing her cancer diagnosis in 2020 and the impact of her father’s legacy on her life.

    Messy Manchester: Rivalries — at their best — come with intense competition and a bit of chaos. Sunday’s Manchester derby in the WSL was no exception. United leapfrogged City into third place in the standings with a 4-2 victory. The two fierce competitors will meet again tomorrow in the Women’s League Cup. The only question is which side Chloe Kelly will be on amid reports the City forward could be headed to United on a loan.

    Staying on: Arsenal has opted for consistency amid change, hiring Renee Slegers as its head coach through the 2025-26 season. Slegers, 35, stepped into the interim role in October, following Jonas Eidevall’s resignation. The Athletic’s Art de Roche explains why Slegers’ ruthlessness made her the perfect choice.

    Cease and desist: Liverpool striker Olivia Smith has become the player defenders feel they need to foul to stop. So much so, head coach Matt Beard has made formal pleas to the Professional Game Match Officials Limited to review and protect the 20-year-old Canadian international from “serious injury.”

    Love Full Time? These stories can also be found on Yahoo’s women’s sports hub, in partnership with The Athletic. Also, check out The Athletic’s other newsletters.

    (Top photo: Yukihito Taguchi / Imagn Images)



    Girma deal marks women’s soccer’s first $1 million transfer. Plus, recent NWSL moves we like

    In a groundbreaking move for women’s soccer, defender Naomi Girma has become the first player in the sport’s history to be involved in a $1 million transfer deal. The 21-year-old recently signed with French club Olympique Lyonnais, setting a new standard for the value of female players in the market.

    Girma, who previously played for Stanford University and the United States U-20 national team, has been heralded as one of the top young talents in the game. Her move to Lyon not only showcases her talent and potential, but also highlights the growing recognition and investment in women’s soccer worldwide.

    In addition to Girma’s historic transfer, there have been several recent moves in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) that we are excited about. From international stars joining the league to promising young talents making their mark, here are a few transfers and signings that have caught our eye:

    1. Angelina – The Brazilian midfielder has signed with OL Reign, bringing her creativity and skill to the NWSL.

    2. Sam Mewis – The USWNT star has returned to the NWSL with San Diego Wave FC after a successful stint in Europe.

    3. Trinity Rodman – The youngest player ever drafted into the NWSL, Rodman has already made a name for herself with the Washington Spirit.

    These moves, along with Girma’s groundbreaking transfer, are a testament to the growing strength and visibility of women’s soccer. As the sport continues to evolve and thrive, we look forward to seeing more historic deals and talented players making their mark on the global stage.

    Tags:

    1. Women’s soccer transfer news
    2. Girma $1 million transfer
    3. NWSL transfer deals
    4. Women’s soccer market updates
    5. NWSL player transfers
    6. Women’s soccer milestones
    7. Girma transfer deal analysis
    8. NWSL team movements
    9. Women’s soccer trade updates
    10. NWSL player contracts

    #Girma #deal #marks #womens #soccers #million #transfer #NWSL #moves

  • Haaland’s 9½-year deal: Rating soccer’s longest contracts


    • Chris Wright, Toe Poke writerJan 17, 2025, 07:00 AM ET

    A version of this article was first published in June 2020 and has been updated.

    Erling Haaland has signed a lucrative new 9½-year contract, until 2034, which will see him stay at Manchester City for what is likely to be his whole career.

    The exact numbers involved have not been made public by City, but sources have told ESPN that it is among the most lucrative contracts in soccer history. The 24-year-old striker, who has 111 goals in 126 games for the club, wouldn’t be the first footballer to eventually come to regret signing an overly lengthy deal and he won’t be the last.

    Here’s a selection from recent times of some of the biggest contracts ever handed out in Europe, and how they turned out.

    Athletic Club love to offer out long-term deals, given their transfer policy only allows them to sign players who are linked to the Basque region of Spain.

    Both are key players in the current squad and look worthy of their 2032 status.

    RANK: HIT

    Fàbregas signed an eight-year contract with Arsenal in 2006, as Arsène Wenger wanted to build his post-Invincibles team around the young Spain midfielder.

    19 at the time, Fàbregas gave five good years to the Gunners before the magnetic pull of his DNA took him back to Barcelona in 2011. Although that move didn’t really work out.

    RANK: HIT

    When it comes to the longest active contracts in world football, Chelsea currently have nine of the top 12 players listed on their books.

    Ukraine winger Mudryk arrived in January 2023 after completing a €70m (plus €30m in add-ons) transfer from Shakhtar Donetsk. He was reportedly hoping to join Arsenal at one point, but the offer of a lucrative 8½-year contract from the Blues was understandably enough to sway his judgement.

    Unfortunately, the speedy forward has yet to win over his doubters after failing to impress during a sporadic string of first-team cameos. And as if things weren’t going badly enough, Mudryk also hasn’t featured for Chelsea since early December after being provisionally suspended by the FA over an ongoing drug test issue.

    RANK: MISS

    Chelsea went big in their efforts to prize Palmer from Manchester City in the summer of 2023 and eventually got the young forward on board with a seven-year contract. Palmer proved an instant hit by scoring 25 goals during a successful debut season at Stamford Bridge which then concluded with the club hurriedly agreeing to tack another two years on the end of the 22-year-old’s mega-deal, thus extending it to nine years.

    Fernandez impressed with Argentina at the 2022 World Cup and Chelsea made him the most expensive player in British football history in a €121m transfer designed to keep him tied to the club up until the summer of 2031. It’s fair to say that the midfielder got off to a slightly underwhelming start at Stamford Bridge, given his lofty billing as the fifth most-expensive player of all time, but there has been tangible improvement since.

    The same goes for Jackson, who has started to hit the net with more regularity after arriving from Villarreal and signing an initial eight-year deal, before penning another two years on top.

    Other players currently on Chelsea’s books with contractual obligations of seven years and above include Pedro Neto, Renato Veiga, Moisés Caceido, Filip Jörgensen and Aaron Anselmino.

    RANK: HIT

    Messi signed nine different contracts during his time at Barcelona (the picture below is from 2014), but the longest was the nine-year deal he agreed in September 2005, a matter of months after breaking through into the first team.

    Messi was signed up until 2014 and doubled his wages in the process, but we think it’s safe to say that Barca definitely got more than their money’s worth as the Argentina legend quickly ascended to greatness.

    RANK: HIT

    After becoming a staple of Atletico Madrid‘s tenacious midfield, Saúl put pen to paper on a huge nine-year deal in 2017 that saw the then 22-year-old contracted to the club until 2026. But it wasn’t long before he fell out with manager Diego Simeone and was moved on loan to Chelsea (2021-22) and now Sevilla, where he will likely sign permanently in the coming months.

    At the same time, Saul’s midfield partner Koke also had five years tacked onto his existing deal to keep him until 2024, and he signed another one-year option to keep him until 2025. The 33-year-old is still at Atletico and that worked out better.

    RANK: HIT, just about

    Yet another LaLiga star foisted with a nine-year deal, Williams agreed to a vast contract with Athletic Club in 2019 that could see the versatile forward play out his entire career at San Mamés.

    Put it this way, any interested club wishing to poach Williams from Bilbao will now have to stump up a cool €135m to trigger his release clause.

    RANK: HIT

    Denílson (Real Betis), 10 years

    A precursor to the mega deals we regularly witness today, Denílson became the most expensive player in the world when Real Betis forked out a fee of €30m for him in the aftermath of the 1998 World Cup.

    The then-20-year-old Brazilian winger agreed a gigantic 10-year contract but ultimately struggled to deliver, failing to maintain any consistent form and leaving LaLiga for Bordeaux six years later (two of those spent on loan at São Paulo) with just seven goals to his name.

    RANK: MISS

    In gratitude for his years of exemplary service, Barcelona presented Iniesta with a “lifetime contract” in October 2017 — a golden deal designed to keep the then-33-year-old midfielder at Camp Nou for the rest of his career.

    Six months later, he upped sticks and moved to Japanese club Vissel Kobe, with Barca left wondering if he’d mistakenly assumed their contract was merely symbolic.

    RANK: MISS

    Real Madrid were so keen for Casillas and Raúl to remain at the Bernabéu for the rest of their careers that the pair were both handed “contracts for the rest of their sporting lives” in 2008.

    Casillas’ deal was an enormous nine-year agreement, while Raúl (aged 30 at the time) added one year to his existing contract.

    However, both deals included a rolling clause that would automatically add an extra year to the contract should the player in question manage to make 30 appearances the season before.

    In fairness, both players definitely spent their best years with Los Blancos, though both left the club well before the end of their respective “sporting lives” — Casillas to FC Porto and Raúl to Schalke — rendering the whole gesture a moot. President Florentino Pérez’s comments about the pair have come to light, and perhaps now we know why.

    RANK: MISS


    1. Lionel Messi – Barcelona (2005-2017): 12 years
    2. Cristiano Ronaldo – Real Madrid (2009-2021): 12 years
    3. Neymar – Barcelona (2013-2026): 13 years
    4. Gareth Bale – Real Madrid (2013-2022): 9 years
    5. Karim Benzema – Real Madrid (2009-2023): 14 years
    6. Sergio Ramos – Real Madrid (2005-2021): 16 years
    7. Thiago Silva – AC Milan (2009-2020): 11 years
    8. Zlatan Ibrahimovic – AC Milan (2010-2020): 10 years
    9. Robert Lewandowski – Bayern Munich (2014-2023): 9 years
    10. Harry Kane – Tottenham Hotspur (2016-2024): 8 years

      It is clear that long-term contracts in soccer are not very common, with most players opting for shorter deals to have more flexibility in their careers. Haaland’s 9½-year deal with Dortmund is certainly a unique and bold move, and only time will tell if it proves to be successful for both parties involved.

    Tags:

    1. Haaland’s long-term contract
    2. Soccer player contracts
    3. Erling Haaland’s deal
    4. Longest soccer contracts
    5. Rating Haaland’s 9½-year contract
    6. Soccer player signings
    7. Professional athlete contracts
    8. Soccer transfer news
    9. Erling Haaland’s future
    10. Soccer contract lengths

    #Haalands #9½year #deal #Rating #soccers #longest #contracts

  • Football Murals: A Celebration of Soccer’s Greatest Street Art: … (hardcover)

    Football Murals: A Celebration of Soccer’s Greatest Street Art: … (hardcover)



    Football Murals: A Celebration of Soccer’s Greatest Street Art: … (hardcover)

    Price : 14.54

    Ends on : N/A

    View on eBay
    Football Murals: A Celebration of Soccer’s Greatest Street Art

    Discover the vibrant world of football murals in this stunning hardcover book showcasing some of the most incredible street art inspired by the beautiful game. From iconic players and memorable moments to vibrant team logos and stadium scenes, these murals capture the passion and energy of soccer in a way that is truly awe-inspiring.

    Featuring artwork from cities around the world, this collection celebrates the global reach of football and the creativity of the artists who bring it to life on the streets. Whether you’re a die-hard fan or simply appreciate incredible art, this book is sure to inspire and delight.

    Immerse yourself in the world of football murals with this beautifully curated collection that highlights the best of soccer’s street art. Perfect for fans of the game and art enthusiasts alike, this book is a must-have addition to any coffee table or bookshelf. Experience the power and beauty of football through the eyes of some of the world’s most talented street artists.
    #Football #Murals #Celebration #Soccers #Greatest #Street #Art #hardcover, visualization

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