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Naomi Girma looks to be enjoying her moment in the sun. The USWNT superstar is in the limelight after securing her move to Chelsea in a record-breaking $1 million deal. Though some may not agree with making too much hype about this transfer, Lynn Biyendolo thinks otherwise. The fellow USWNT teammate of Girma insists how ‘incredible‘ it is for the defender to finally get her much-deserved break from being overlooked.

To remind you, Naomi Girma, not making the cut for the Ballon d’Or Féminin nominations, never sat well with pundits and fans alike. In fact, she was given the cold shoulder despite delivering remarkable performances on both domestic and international fronts. Not to forget, she played a key role in Emma Hayes & Co.’s gold medal triumph at the Paris Olympics. Given how the defender has kick-started her 2025, Lynn Williams, now Biyendolo, isn’t surprised to see Girma breaking records.

“Of course, it’s going to be Naomi,” began the Seattle Reign forward on the latest segment of The Women’s Game podcast. “She has been snubbed so many times in awards. She’s just an incredible player, but an incredible human as well. I think that she deserves everything good in this world. For her to be the person to break this record… I think it’s incredible that it’s a defender.”

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Hailing Girma as the best defender in the world, Biyendolo insisted that even the 24-year-old herself isn’t fully aware of her own talent. The former Gotham star claimed if Girma chose to play in other positions, she could be the best midfielder or forward, as well. Of course, one cannot doubt Mrs. former Williams. After all, Lynn shares the pitch with Girma on the national team, having secured gold together at the 2024 Summer Games.

Interestingly, Lynn was one advocate for Girma to get selected for the Ballon d’Or. She insisted the stakeholders must have made a “printing error” and the new Chelsea signing should have been the first one to get her name on the nomination list. While that didn’t happen, she hopes Naomi makes the most with her new team.

“I think that she’s so humble but hopefully, this is a moment now where she can say, ‘Yeah I’m really good. I’m really talented and I deserve this,'” added Lynn. Notably, the forward hasn’t personally congratulated Naomi on her move. Yet, she hopes the talented defender realizes she deserves this. “She is an unreal defender and an unreal human being,” concluded Biyendolo.

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What’s your perspective on:

Is Naomi Girma's Chelsea move the start of a new era for defenders in soccer?

Have an interesting take?

Well, Lynn wasn’t alone in taking pride in Girma’s latest move from San Diego Wave. An iconic USWNT defender hopes it is the beginning of a revolution!

Is Naomi Girma moving to Chelsea a much-needed ‘shift’ for defenders?

In the same segment, Becky Sauerbrunn also touched on Naomi Girma’s move. The USWNT icon, who herself was a defender, is taking pride in the youngster’s historic WSL move. In fact, she hopes it finally creates a strong narrative in favor of the defenders. “I hope that it’s kind of a shift towards valuing true defenders because I do think defending is a little bit of a dying art,” said Sauerbrunn.

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The former Portland Thorns star is pleased that some teams are beginning to realize they haven’t valued the center-back position. She believes this highlights a growing recognition of the importance of defenders in the game. In fact, she is crossing her fingers that it stays that way.

Indeed, it’s heartwarming to see how Naomi Girma’s fellow American pals are celebrating her latest transfer. Now, all that remains to be seen is how it works out for her.

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Is Naomi Girma's Chelsea move the start of a new era for defenders in soccer?

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