Lizbeth “La Maga” Ovalle has long been a magician with the ball at her feet. Now she’s breaking barriers off the field too. The Tigres winger is set to join Orlando Pride in a deal worth about $1.5 million, the highest transfer fee in the history of women’s football.
Ovalle leaves Tigres as the club’s all-time leading scorer, with 136 goals in 294 matches, six league titles, and three Campeón de Campeonas trophies. She was the face of Liga MX Femenil from its inception in 2017, winning fans with her technique, vision, and ability to turn a match in an instant. Internationally she has more than 50 caps for Mexico, a Pan American Games gold medal, and a goal that knocked the United States out of the 2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup.
Orlando’s record investment comes at a pivotal moment. The Pride are defending NWSL champions and chasing another playoff run, but the sale of Brazilian midfielder Adriana and an injury to striker Bárbara Banda left them thin in attack. Ovalle fits the need perfectly, offering creativity on the wing and a scorer’s instinct. She’ll also join a locker room led by Marta, giving her both a mentor and a partner in attack.
How Ovalle’s deal compares to past records
The size of the transfer has stunned many around the sport. Just a month ago, Canadian forward Olivia Smith briefly held the record after moving to Arsenal for $1.34 million. Last year Chelsea spent just over $1 million on U.S. defender Naomi Girma. Before that, Keira Walsh’s $430,000 move to Barcelona in 2022 was seen as groundbreaking. Ovalle’s deal towers above them all.
For Mexican fans, the leap is especially striking. Only two years ago Mia Fishel left Tigres for Chelsea in a $250,000 transfer. The jump from that fee to Ovalle’s multi-million move illustrates just how dramatically the women’s market has accelerated. Ovalle is also the first Mexican player, male or female, to ever be tied to the biggest fee in world football.
Some supporters have called the price “insane but deserved.” Others wonder about the risk, pointing out that Ovalle has never played in Europe or the NWSL before. On Reddit, one fan admitted, “To pay a world record for a player without an extensive body of work in a top league… if Chelsea or Lyon did this, everyone would worry.”
Still, the move reflects a trend that shows no sign of slowing. Fees in the women’s game are climbing rapidly, driven by competition between the NWSL and England‘s WSL. With investors pouring money into both leagues, even casual fans are asking if a $5 million transfer might be closer than anyone thought.
In Mexico, the reaction has been emotional. Tigres fans marked the end of an era with tributes calling Ovalle their “Eterna Maga.” Journalists described the move as “¡Venta mágica de Tigres Femenil!” while others highlighted the pride of seeing a Mexican player lead the global market. In Orlando, supporters are embracing the nickname overlap, joking that with Marta and La Maga in the same attack “this is pure witchcraft.”
Ovalle’s final match for Tigres came in a friendly against Barcelona, where she waved goodbye to a crowd that had grown up with her. It was a reminder that her story is more than a headline about money. For Mexico, she is a trailblazer who proved local talent belongs on the world’s biggest stage. For Orlando, she is the piece they hope will keep them at the top of the NWSL. And for women’s football, she represents a before-and-after moment in how the game values its stars.
