2010–11 in English football City's goalless draw at Crystal Palace putting them into second place in the Championship, while Walsall keep their League One survival hopes alive with a 6–1 win over fellow strugglers Bristol Rovers. 31 January 2011: Chelsea pay a British record 50 million pounds for Liverpool striker Fernando Torres. Liverpool paid 35 million pounds for Andy Carroll – breaking the transfer record for a British footballer. 2 February 2011: Gary Neville, who has played 602 times for Manchester United since his debut in September 1992, announces his retirement from playing just before his 36th birthday. He has won a total of
Progression of the British football transfer fee record sum which caused a national sensation and outrage amongst the football authorities. The £5,000 mark was first reached in 1922 when Falkirk paid that amount for West Ham United's Syd Puddefoot, and six years later Arsenal paid the first ever £10,000 fee to acquire David Jack of Bolton Wanderers. After the Second World War, the spending power of clubs in mainland Europe outstripped that of British clubs for the first time, resulting in several substantial jumps in the transfer record. John Charles became the first British player to command a fee of £50,000 when he joined Juventus in 1957, and