A mahout rides on painted elephant as they march during a procession near the Grand Palace to pay their respects to Thailand's former queen Sirikit in Bangkok on November 27, 2025. (Photo by Chanakarn Laosarakham/AFP Photo)
A woman chops a fish at her stall as a train passes by at a morning market near Duri train station in Jakarta in this February 12, 2009 file photo. (Photo by Reuters/Beawiharta)
Naked activists take part in a protest against fur trade, called by international non profit animal rights organisation AnimaNaturalis, in Barcelona, on December 1, 2019, on the eve of the opening of the UN Climate Change Conference COP25. (Photo by Pau Barrena/AFP Photo)
Former Mujahideen hold weapons to support Afghan forces in their fight against Taliban, on the outskirts of Herat province, Afghanistan on July 10, 2021. (Photo by Jalil Ahmad/Reuters)
Football transfers are not cheap. To have a player strengthen their ranks, teams are willing to pay big money. The football transfer considered to be the most expensive in the sport's history was that of Gareth Bale leaving Tottenham to play at Real Madrid. The Spanish club paid not less than £86 million (about $133 million at today's exchange rates) to have the player among its own. But recent news suggest that this record might be broken this year. According to reports in the media, UK Premier League team Manchester United is willing to almost double that amount.