From playing in secret to the most expensive star in women’s football – the rise of Zambia’s Racheal Kundananji
"Maybe one day you’ll break some records."
Racheal Kundananji may not have believed those words when she began her football career, but it wouldn’t take long for them to ring true.
The 24-year-old used to play in secret, keeping her family in the dark while she was getting her first taste of the sport in the streets after school.
“They would think I was going to a friend’s place,” she told BBC Africa.
But after stepping out of the shadows, things changed for the Bay FC forward.
Not only did football become a very viable career, but she also became a beacon of hope for young African girls who wanted to follow in her footsteps.
That, in part, comes from the encouragement she received from her family to pursue it.
“My mum is my biggest influence – I learn a lot from her, to work hard and never give up on anything,” she said.
“If you’re good at something, then you need to follow your dreams.”
It is that kind of support, along with self-belief, that has led Kundananji to where she is: the most expensive transfer in women’s football, and a soon-to-be two-time Olympian at Paris 2024.
Kundananji's move to Bay FC saw her become the most expensive player in women's football.
Racheal Kundananji: We are the chosen generation
For years, women’s football has fought for the recognition that men’s football garners.
But as the years have gone on, things have gradually changed in many parts of the world.
It is thanks to the players who have gone before, and equally to Kundananji’s generation who are putting in the work and reaping the rewards.
“What I really want to say to girls is that they just need to follow their dreams and do what they love doing,” she continued, in her interview with BBC.
In a separate interview with The Guardian, she added: “Our generation is the chosen generation, just expect more records to be broken.
“This is the generation that will show there is great talent in Africa.”
Kundananji has already helped prove as much on the pitch, but she wants to extend that off the pitch, too.
That is why the Zambian international has launched her very own foundation, intending to nurture the next crop of stars.
“This foundation is dedicated to empowering young athletes and transforming communities across Southern Africa,” she wrote.
“Football is more than a sport; it’s a unifying force for change. Together, let’s build a legacy of diversity, equality, and opportunity.”
Kundananji and Zambia at the 2023 Women's World Cup.
Racheal Kundananji’s constant rise
Kundananji has always been a bonafide goal scorer.
In the first senior season of her career, with Indeni Roses in Zambia, she scored 21 goals in 18 appearances.
A year later, in 2019, she signed her first professional contract with Kazakhstan side BIIK Kazygurt, where she won consecutive league titles in her two seasons there.
Her performances caught the eye of Spanish side Eibar, who brought her to Europe to play in the Premiera Iberdrola – now known as Liga F – where she would spend one term, scoring eight times in 21 appearances.
But it was the move in the summer of 2022 to Madrid CFF that spurred the striker into a goal-scoring sensation. In her two seasons with the club, she found the back of the net 33 times in 43 games.
While she credits the teammates around her, it is the work she has put in over the years that made Bay FC in San Francisco want to set a new world transfer record, paying $820,000 US dollars to secure her services.
“Racheal is a dedicated, humble and unbelievable goal scorer,” her agent Chris Atkins said.
“She always had raw speed but has improved so much in terms of her finishing, her tactical awareness and her psychicality in the past few years.
“It is great to see someone who started with nothing has managed to reach the level she has.”