USWNT star Catarina Macario to leave Chelsea in 'largest deal' in women’s football history to join San Diego Wave

According to Sportico and The Athletic, Macario is set to become the face of a new era in the NWSL after agreeing to a record-breaking contract with the San Diego Wave. The forward will reportedly earn nearly $8 million in fully guaranteed money over the next five seasons, a figure believed to be the largest total value in the history of women’s professional football. The historic deal, which runs through the 2030 season, includes a lucrative signing bonus and further performance-related incentives. The move was facilitated by the league's High-Impact Player Rule, allowing teams to spend up to $1m over the standard salary cap to recruit global stars.

Despite her importance to the Blues, Chelsea have agreed to a deal that will see Macario depart London before her contract was due to expire this summer. The Wave reportedly paid a transfer fee in the region of $300,000 to secure her services this month. The move marks the end of her successful, albeit injury-interrupted, stint in Europe, where she has also featured for French giants Lyon. Having made 105 professional club appearances and scoring 44 goals across her time in France and England, she brings a wealth of elite European experience back to the domestic league she once bypassed at the start of her journey.

For the attacker, the move is a homecoming in every sense. After relocating from Brazil to the United States at age 12, she played for the San Diego Surf youth club before becoming a collegiate sensation at Stanford University. During her time with the Cardinal, she scored 63 goals in 69 games and won two MAC Hermann trophies. Her arrival is expected to provide a massive boost to the Wave’s commercial and on-field prospects. The club’s billionaire owner, Lauren Leichtman, has shown significant ambition recently, spending $800,000 to bring in Brazilian forward Ludmila. Following the retirement of Alex Morgan, the Wave are eager to restore their star power.

The primary concern for both San Diego and the USWNT remains Macario’s fitness. Injuries have frequently sidelined her, including an ACL tear that forced her to miss the 2023 Women's World Cup and subsequent knee issues that ruled her out of the 2024 Paris Olympics. However, her marketability remains at an all-time high, evidenced by a massive 10-year, $10m sponsorship deal with Nike signed last summer. If she can maintain her health, she is expected to be the centrepiece of the Wave’s attack for years to come, using this historic financial package to anchor the franchise through 2030.