"BK Hacken has now sold Felicia Schroder to Real Madrid in the most expensive transfer ever in women's football." No fee confirmed, no ceiling set — just a 19-year-old from Gothenburg heading to the Bernabéu on a four-year deal.
The record she's apparently breaking belongs to Lizbeth Ovalle, who moved from Tigres to Orlando Pride for $1.5m (€1.3m) back in August 2025 — a fee that itself only held the crown for a few months after Naomi Girma and Olivia Smith pushed the market upward earlier that year. Women's football's transfer record has changed hands three times in 2025 alone. Schroder is the fourth name on that list, and she's barely old enough to vote in some countries.
What she actually did to earn this
The stats justify the attention. Schroder finished the 2025 campaign with 45 goals and 12 assists across 42 matches — numbers that would turn heads in any league, at any age. Hacken won the inaugural UEFA Women's Europa Cup on the back of those contributions, earning automatic entry into next season's Champions League group phase. They also claimed their first Damallsvenskan title since 2020. She wasn't just good; she was the reason they won things.
Chelsea had moved first. The Athletic reported in May that they'd submitted a bid in the region of €1.4m — a would-be world record at the time — but Schroder ultimately chose Madrid. That's a significant blow for a club already scrambling to replace Sam Kerr and having just missed out on Khadija Shaw, who opted to stay at Manchester City. Their forward line heading into next season is a genuine problem, and the Schroder door is now firmly shut.
What this means for Real Madrid
Madrid finished second in Liga F for the fourth straight season. Barcelona aren't going anywhere, and one signing — however expensive — doesn't close a gap that's been four years in the making. But a 19-year-old who just scored 45 goals in a single campaign gives their attack a different dimension, and her Champions League debut will come with a considerable amount of expectation already loaded onto it.
The fee remains undisclosed. BK Hacken are happy to claim the record without publishing the number — which tells you something about how these deals still work in women's football, even as the valuations creep toward genuinely significant territory.
