Copper Queens star Racheal Kundananji has admitted that the pressure of living up to her world record transfer fee took a toll on her performances.
The striker revealed this in a post-match interview after Bay FC’s 1-0 defeat to Orlando Pride on Saturday morning, in which compatriot Barbra Banda scored the winning goal.
In February, National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) expansion club Bay FC broke the bank to sign Kundananji from Madrid CFF for €735,000 plus add-ons, setting a world record fee for women’s football.
However, the Zambian international, along with her teammates, did not hit the ground running in the NWSL. By mid-May, Bay FC was second-bottom of the league with seven defeats in their first nine matches.
As of September, the league debutants are within a place of the NWSL playoff qualification spot with 25 points from 21 matches.
“I needed to take it easy on myself”- Kundananji.
Since the Summer Olympics, Racheal Kundananji and Asisat Oshoala have delivered the goods for Bay FC, contributing to the club’s longest unbeaten run, which was halted by Orlando Pride.
“We had a very great game and created a lot of chances, even though we didn’t use them. I am so proud of our team,” said Kundananji following their narrow loss.
She noted, “Despite being a new team, we put up a very good performance against Orlando.”
Regarding her resurgence in form since the Paris Olympics, Kundananji explained, “In those first matches, I was thinking too much about the transfer, and I feel like it brought me down.”
Her experience is akin to that of some high-profile players like Phillipe Coutinho, Paul Pogba, and Romelu Lukaku, who seemingly folded to the pressure of justifying a high transfer fee.
“After the Paris Olympics, I realised that I needed to take it easy on myself. When I came back from the Olympics, it was like I had become a new person,” asserted the Bay FC striker.
Kundananji also revealed how delighted she was to play against Barbra Banda, exclaiming, “Playing against my countrymate is motivating. As you saw, so many fans came to support us.“
Now she hopes to inspire Bay FC to their first-ever NWSL playoff appearance. They currently in 9th place in the league, level on points with 8th place Racing Louisville.
The Californian-based outfit need to finish in the top eight if they are to become the first expansion team to win the NWSL Championship in its debut season.
