In 1893, 17 years after the birth of the telephone and only 30 years of television, Aston Villa became the first football club in the world to sign a player for a triple-digit price.
In the 1892 FA Cup final, Aston Villa lost 3-0 to West Bromwich Albion. To be precise, it was the loss to The Lanterns' Scottish striker William Groves.
Aston Villa then paid Groves a £100 transfer fee, while also being fined £25 by the FA for Victorian poaching players.
For more than a century, every record transfer transaction became a compelling news story around the plot of deception and bitterness in the process...
Of the 55 most expensive transfer deals in history, only one buyer came from outside Europe's top five leagues – the Shanghai Harbour of the Chinese Super League. #Premier League##La Liga##Serie A##Bundesliga##Ligue 1##中超 #