Striker Rachel Kundananji has gotten down to work with her new club Bay FC ahead of their second league match of the season.
Kundananji, who arrived last week in the United States of America, shook off an injury she sustained in the Olympics qualifier against Ghana at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium.
She watched from the stands as Bay FC beat Angel City 1-0 thanks to a record breaking Asisat Oshoala goal.
This is good news for Coach Bruce Mwape ahead of the final round of the Paris 2024 Olympics qualifiers next month against Morocco.
Kundananji could make her debut for Bay FC this Sunday as they take on Washington Spirit at the Audi Field.
The Copper Queens superstar joined the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) extension side from Madrid CFF.
The deal is worth around €735,000 making Kundananji the most expensive female football player in history of Women’s Football.
The Zambian international penned a four year contract to keep her at the club until 2027 with an option to extend to 2028.
In Aug. 2022, Kundananji signed with Madrid CFF, scoring 25 goals during her first season with the club in the 2022-23 campaign.
Her 25 goals ranked second-most in the league as she helped Madrid to a fifth-place finish. During the 2023-24 season, Kundananji appeared in 14 matches, recording eight goals and four assists.
Prior to her arrival at Madrid, she was with SD Eibar in Spain, where she tallied eight goals in 21 appearances.
Kundananji signed her first professional contract abroad with BIIK Kazygurt in Kazakhstan at the age of 18.
She helped the team win back-to-back league championships in 2019 and 2020.
In 2018, Kundananji played for Ideni Roses of Zambia’s Copperbelt Women’s League, scoring 21 goals in 18 games as the team won the league title.
At the international level, Kundananji represented Zambia at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics. It marked her first appearance at the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
She scored her first career World Cup goal in a 3-1 win over Costa Rica in the group stage of the 2023 tournament. Notably, she tallied a brace in her international debut at the 2018 Women’s African Cup of Nations.
In December last year, Kundananji won the 2023 GOAL50 Women’s Award ahead of FC Barcelona star Asisat Oshoala and Linda Caicedo of Real Madrid Feminina.
Kundananji was also named as the revelation (breakthrough player) of the season at the MARCA Women’s Sports Awards and also won the Estrella Damm Best Goal award at the 3rd edition of Mundo Deportivo’s European Women’s Football awards.
This is a very wonderful information I never thought I could chance. Please keep updating us on the world of soccer especially to do with our ambassadors playing abroad.
Very rich CV and a good journey in women football she has had.Well articulated.
Glad to hear she is back on the grass.
The battle for goals started already:
Asisat Oshiwala 🇳🇬 1 game 1 goal
Racheal Kundananji 🇿🇲 0 games 2 goals 🤣😂😅