Canada ahead Olivia Smith turned the costliest participant in ladies’s soccer historical past at a reported a million kilos (US$1.34 million) when Arsenal signed her from Liverpool on Thursday.
The brand new benchmark in ladies’s soccer would surpass the 900,000 kilos ($1.1 million) Chelsea paid when signing Naomi Girma from the San Diego Wave in January.
Smith’s four-year deal highlights the rise in spending in ladies’s soccer, with switch information repeatedly damaged.
Zambia striker Rachael Kundananji joined Bay FC from Madrid CFF for a document $788,000 final yr, and that determine was shortly exceeded by Girma’s transfer to Chelsea.
As lately as 2020, the costliest ladies’s participant was Denmark’s Pernille Tougher, who joined Chelsea from Wolfsburg for $355,000.
England’s Keira Walsh left Manchester Metropolis for Barcelona in 2022 for a deal price $513,000, and Chelsea broke the document once more in 2024 when signing Mayra Ramirez from Levante for $542,000.
The 20-year-old from Whitby, Ont., has quickly risen since growing in america school system.
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Smith joined Sporting Clube in Portugal in 2023 and scored 16 objectives in 28 appearances in her debut season.
She moved to Liverpool final yr, scored 9 objectives in 25 video games, and was voted Liverpool FC Ladies’s 2024-25 Participant of the Season.
Smith can also be Canada’s youngest worldwide after making her debut at 15 in 2019.
She has three objectives and three assists in 18 senior appearances for Canada.
“Olivia is an thrilling younger participant and we imagine she will make a giant contribution right here at Arsenal,” head coach Renee Slegers stated.
“We’ve been impressed by her mentality and character, excelling in two European leagues at such a younger age.”
Arsenal is a 15-time English champion and gained the Champions League for the second time in its historical past final season.
Regardless of Chelsea being the dominant drive in ladies’s soccer in England, Arsenal is the one English workforce to win the Champions League.
“It’s my dream to compete for the largest titles right here in England and in Europe and I’m excited to get began and contribute to doing that right here with Arsenal,” Smith stated.
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