Chelsea Football Club Women has come to an agreement to sign former Stanford University Cardinal and Olympic Champion Naomi Girma on a long-term contract for a record fee of $1.1 million USD. The Blues are believed to have beat French giants Olympique Lyonnais Féminin for her signature: a move that will help the reigning Women’s Super League champions and current title front-runners in their European campaign.
Although they currently sit at the top of Group B, the playoffs won’t be easy. Alongside Chelsea, seven other teams have made it to the knockout rounds. Girma’s arrival could serve as the reinforcement needed to beat the incredibly talented Barcelona team; one can only hope that this season will allow us to see Girma lining up against the likes of Aitana Bonmatí and Ewa Pajor. Nonetheless, the Blues will find out who their quarter-final opponents are on Feb. 7 at the UEFA Women's Champions League (UWCL) draw which will be streamed for free on both Youtube and DAZN.
Girma has been touted by pundits as a potential “decisive” factor in Chelsea’s UWCL drive due to her incredible defensive composure and leadership. Despite missing out on a Ballon d’Or nomination in the last award season — a controversial exclusion discussed by our section’s commentators — Girma was impressive for both club and country.
Drafted as a first-overall draft pick in 2022 by San Diego Wave F.C., she was one of the key elements of the team’s successful National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) title in 2023. She extended that success in the past year by helping the team clinch the continuing that success in 2024 by helping the team clinch the 2024 NWSL Challenge Cup. As expressed by the Wave’s Sporting Director and General Manager Camille Ashton, Girma is “an integral part of the Club since the day she was drafted in the inaugural season.” While they will surely be sad to see her go, San Diego Wave’s trajectory as a team has been undoubtedly marked by her presence and contribution.
As part of the U.S. Women’s National Team (USWNT), Girma has been described by her national team coach Emma Hayes as the “best defender [Hayes] has ever seen” — an incredible compliment in consideration of her 12 years as the Chelsea Women’s coach, where she trained the likes of Lucy Bronze, Ashley Lawrence, Millie Bright and Kadeisha Buchanan. At the same time, it is well deserved, as Girma had a masterclass tournament in the 2024 Summer Olympic Games, exemplified by her incredible performance in the semi-final match against Germany. She maintained impressive consistency despite playing in every minute of the Games — being the only field player to do so. This was recognized through her inclusion in FIFA’s The Best Women’s Eleven Award.
Outside of the sport, the American athlete is also an accomplished student, graduating with a graduate degree in engineering from Stanford University. She is also an advocate for mental health awareness, a cause she became passionate about after losing her best friend and teammate Katie Meyer to suicide. Girma has been instrumental in the creation of the “Create the Space” retreat through a collaboration with Common Goal, expressing her desire to “take action and create some real change with [the project].”
Looking ahead to the second half of the season, it is a safe bet to say that the center-back will likely become a starter in the incredibly talented Chelsea starting-11. Her technical abilities (passing accuracy, clearances and dribbling) are set to make her an ideal partner for Chelsea captain Millie Bright, after injuries thinned out the Chelsea defensive line. At the time of writing, Girma is expected to make her debut for Chelsea in the coming weeks. We at The News-Letter are excited to see how she adapts to English and European competition.
Stay tuned for the next UWCL matches, which will be announced in less than a week!
