Rose Kadzere, a midfielder for the Malawi Women’s National Team, left Malawi this morning for France to join Montpellier Feminine.

Before departing, the Ascent Soccer Academy player disclosed at the Kamuzu International Airport (KIA) in Lilongwe that she had agreed to a three-year contract with the French club.

Kadzere will become the second Malawian female footballer to play in France, following striker Tabitha Chawinga, who currently plays for Olympique Lyonnais Feminine.

The 18-year-old announced herself on the international stage at last year’s COSAFA Women’s tournament, where Malawi won the trophy for the first time, defeating Zambia 2-1 in the final. Kadzere played all the games and scored once.

In April this year, Kadzere, together with her teammate Leticia Chinyamula, were nominated for the Council for Southern African Football Associations (Cosafa) Young Female Player of the year award which her compatriot won.

“I am happy that finally, the dream has come to reality. It has been my dream to play professional football, not only in Africa but in France,” she said. “I thank God for this and I will put my effort into delivering.”

Asked how it feels to play in the same league as Chawinga, Kadzere said it has been her dream to play in the top leagues.

“Tabitha is our role model, a player we look up to, it makes things easier because she will be advising me where I go wrong,” she said.