Chelsea Women have agreed a world record transfer fee of $1.1m to sign United States international defender Naomi Girma from San Diego Wave,
Winning a gold medal gold with the United States at the 2024 Olympics, Girma will become the first ever million dollar female footballer.
Widely regarded as one of the best female players in the world at present, we take a deep dive into everything you need to know about Girma including her age, background, style of play and more.
Born on 14th June 2000, Naomi Girma is 24 years old.
Girma was born in San Jose, California, with both of her parents immigrants from Ethiopia.
A record transfer for a female footballer, Chelsea are believed to have agreed a fee in the region of £900,000 ($1.1m) to acquire Girma's services from San Diego Wave.
Girma's natural position is centre-back, with her new employers Chelsea having recently lost Canadian central defender Kadeisha Buchanan to an ACL injury.
Girma is 5ft 6ins in height and of lean build.
Girma is a naturally right footed player who is also comfortable using her weaker left foot.
Girma's game as a central defender revolves around her calmness, composure and ability to read the game.
An unflappable operator who exudes confidence at the heart of defence, Girma is also exceptionally technically proficient and comfortable playing out from the back.
Regarded as the best defender in the women's game at present, Girma is also an impressive athlete who relishes one-v-one duels on the ground.
Girma played college soccer for Stanford Cardinal, captaining the team to the 2019 Women's College Cup.
The talented defender was selected by San Diego as the first pick of the 2022 NWSL Draft and was named both Rookie of the Year and Defender of the Year in her first season at the club.
During her three years at San Diego Wave, Girma won two major honours - the NWSL Shield in 2023 and NWSL Challenge Cup in 2024.
Previously representing the United States at U17, U19 and U21 level, Girma made her senior debut for her country in an international friendly against Uzbekistan in April 2022.
Girma was a member of the United States squad which participated in the 2023 Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, suffering a shock elimination in the round of 16 following a penalty shootout defeat against Sweden.
The centre-back was also part of the United States' squad for the 2024 Paris Olympics, representing a key player as Emma Hayes' side clinched Olympic gold after beating Brazil in the final.