Record Fees, Rising Stars: Lizbeth Ovalle and the New Economics of Women’s Football

It was a season of broken records. Women’s football is growing, and one of the clearest signs is the ever-increasing amount of money being invested in the women's game. Chelsea set a new benchmark in 2025, Arsenal topped it that summer, and then both London clubs were surpassed by an NWSL side.

On 23 August 2025, something happened that had already been whispered about in football circles for days. Orlando Pride welcomed young Mexican star Lizbeth Ovalle, nicknamed La Maga (The Magician). And it is hardly surprising. The young forward produces goals that are a joy to watch. Her famous scorpion kick, scored while playing for UANL Tigres in Mexico, says it all.

Ovalle grew up at a time when there was still no professional women’s league in her native Mexico. That, of course, has only begun to change in recent years. But she was born at just the right moment. Liga MX Femenil was launched when she was 17, at the end of 2016 — exactly the right age for a young talent ready to break into senior football.

Tigres legend

And that is exactly what she did. From then on, she wore the Tigres UANL jersey, winning seven league titles with the club. There, she had the chance to learn from stars such as Jenni Hermoso. In total, she made 294 appearances for Tigres, scoring 136 goals and adding 103 assists. She left as the club’s all-time leading scorer.

Although her farewell to the club that developed her and shaped the formative years of her career was an emotional one, Ovalle can leave knowing she gave Tigres everything in return for what the club gave her. The fee they received for her has put them in a very strong position financially, and she also signed off by helping them win one last league title in Liga MX Femenil.

Part of the reason Orlando moved for her may also lie in her international performances. She scored the Goal of the Tournament at the 2018 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup. But what likely convinced NWSL scouts most was her big-game impact against the United States. At the Concacaf W Gold Cup, she scored in Mexico’s historic 2:0 win over the USWNT full of women's football biggest stars.

Why NWSL? 

It had become clear that La Maga had outgrown Liga MX Femenil and was ready for the next step. It is no surprise, either, that the biggest move came in the NWSL. While two London giants had previously set the bar, the United States has long led the way when it comes to investment in women’s football — and that is visible in far more than just the transfer market.

In Europe, women’s teams such as Arsenal and Chelsea are often dependent on the budget of the larger men’s club. In the United States, the NWSL operates differently: teams do not have a men’s counterpart and instead exist within a closed league backed by billionaires and investment groups, who are pouring capital into clubs in an effort to build profitable businesses.

For Orlando Pride, it was not the first time they had spent a huge fee on a player. Before Ovalle, they signed Barbara Banda for $740,000 in 2024. And for the sake of completeness, here are the numbers: Ovalle cost $1.5 million, Arsenal paid $1.3 million for Olivia Smith, and Chelsea spent 1 million dollars on Naomi Girma.

The NWSL set another benchmark not only in transfer fees, but also in salary terms. In 2026, Washington Spirit, owned by Michelle Kang, handed Trinity Rodman a new contract. But that is a story for another time in our First and Record series.