Cristiano Ronaldo holds yet another record as the most expensive player over the age of 30. Ronaldo's 2018 move to Juventus sees him trump the likes of Harry Kane and Neymar. Signings such as Kalidou Koulibaly, Paulinho and Miralem Pjanic failed to reach expectations.
More often than not, the big money in football is reserved for players in the prime of their careers or those who are showcasing some potential that may be worth investing in. In fact, the average age of the top ten signings in football history stands at just 21.5 years.
However, when players defy their age, it isn't completely out of the realm of possibility for clubs to spend big to get that quality and experience through the door. It isn't always the best course of action, but these ten players stand as the most expensive players over the age of 30 in the beautiful game. Most Expensive 30+ Year Old's in Football Rank Player Buying Club Selling Club Transfer Fee 1 Cristiano Ronaldo Juventus Real Madrid £99.
2m 2 Harry Kane Tottenham Hotspur Bayern Munich £86.4m 3 Neymar Paris Saint-Germain Al-Hilal £77.6m 4 Casemiro Real Madrid Manchester United £70m 5 Miralem Pjanic Juventus Barcelona £59m 6 Robert Lewandowski Bayern Munich Barcelona £42.
5m 7 Marco Verratti Paris Saint-Germain Al-Arabi SC £39m 8 Paulinho Barcelona Guangzhou FC £37.4m 9 Leonardo Bonucci Juventus AC Milan £37.4m 10 Kalidou Koulibaly Napoli Chelsea £34m 10 Kalidou Koulibaly In 2022, Kalidou Koulibaly was one of the most talked about defenders in world football.
The Senegalese star was a man-mountain of a centre-back at Napoli and was linked with some of the biggest clubs in the world. It was Chelsea who managed to bring him in for £34m . His time at Stamford Bridge lasted just one season, as he was quickly shipped off when Mauricio Pochettino came to the club.
He would join several other big-name stars in moving to Saudi Arabia, where he became one of the highest-paid players in the Middle East . 9 Leonardo Bonucci Koulibaly's difficulties at Chelsea, while surprising, were always a possibility, as adjusting to a league as intense as the Premier League as an elder statesman can be tricky. However, for Leonardo Bonucci , his move to AC Milan should've gone much better as he remained in the same division he had dominated for years come 2017.
With the Rossoneri looking to return to the summit of Serie A, they enlisted the help of a man who was no stranger to winning Scudetto's at Juventus. However, Milan didn't find their form until some years later, and Bonucci struggled without his usual cohort surrounding him. Within a year, he was back in Turin on a cut-price deal.
Several high-profile players have retired from football this year. 8 Paulinho There have been some strange moves in football , but Paulinho's sudden arrival at Barcelona in 2017 is right up there as one of the most baffling. The former Tottenham man had been playing in China for three years when the opportunity at Camp Nou presented itself, one that he jumped on.
After one full season and 49 games for the Spanish giants, the Brazilian was back at Guangzhou FC, firstly on loan but then on a permanent deal during the 2018/19 winter transfer window. Incredibly, the Catalonians were able to make an overall profit on the deal when combining the loan and transfer fees. It was partly due to deals like this that the Chinese Super League eventually collapsed .
7 Marco Verratti Usually, it is PSG who are the ones bringing in the big-money stars. To their credit though, they also know how to squeeze the most out of clubs for their unwanted players. Case in point, a past his best Marco Verratti .
The Italian had been a constant figure in the French capital for over a decade, but in 2022, the time had come for the diminutive midfielder to move on. While many were going to Saudi Arabia, the 31-year-old instead moved to Qatar to join Al-Arabi SC. He was quite comfortably the club's most expensive purchase, with he and former Parisian teammate Abdou Diallo combining to be worth six times the amount of the previous record arrival Carlos Henrique Dias.
6 Robert Lewandowski It is becoming more common for Barcelona to bring in older stars to the club, hoping that their quality will continue to show for a little while longer in a less intense league. Although some of these lead to more problems than solutions, the signing of Robert Lewandowski can be seen in a positive light. The Pole had become one of the greatest goalscorers in world football and was seeking a new challenge after achieving everything possible at Bayern Munich.
In his first season, he topped the scoring charts at Camp Nou and helped Xavi's team secure a La Liga title. He is beginning to show signs of decline now, and may not have much longer at the top of the game. 5 Miralem Pjanic If Lewandowski was one of the biggest success stories of the recent transfer strategy at Barcelona, Miralem Pjanic was one of the biggest failures.
The Bosnian was a former Champions League finalist at Juventus, as well as a four-time Italian champion. Despite being on the wrong side of 30, Barca were confident enough in his ability to make him one of their most expensive signings . Spending that sort of money in a COVID-hit season was always going to be a risk, but it did not pay off as the midfielder made just 30 appearances for the club and was let go on a free transfer two years later.
GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Miralem Pjanic made £875,042 per appearance at Barcelona. 4 Casemiro It has been a tale of two seasons for Casemiro at Manchester United. In his debut campaign, the tough-tackling Brazilian looked every bit worth the £70m spent on bringing him in as he led the Red Devils to their first major trophy in six years.
His second season couldn't have been more of a stark contrast if he had tried. The 32-year-old looked leggy, was accused of being overweight and simply couldn't keep up with the demands of the Premier League. As one of the biggest earners in the division , it seemed getting him off the books would be the priority of INEOS, but that has failed to occur thus far.
3 Neymar The most expensive player of all time, but it wasn't this deal that took Neymar to the top of that list. It was his move to PSG which did that, but when his time at the French giants came to an end, they still recouped a fair chunk of money. The flashy winger was one of many superstars who swapped Europe for Saudi Arabia when he took the leap to join Al-Hilal in 2023.
All that money got the Saudi Pro League champions just five appearances, as the Brazilian was sidelined for the majority of the year with an ACL injury. They will be hoping that when Neymar does return, he can begin repaying the incredible amount of money that was spent on him while helping the club defend their title. 2 Harry Kane From a personal point of view, Harry Kane 's £86.
4m move to Bayern Munich couldn't have gone much better. The England captain was able to break several records during his first season in Germany, and firmly established himself as one of, if not the best number nine in the world . However, it was clear that Kane joined the Bavarians to win titles, something he's failed to do thus far.
Thomas Tuchel's shortcomings combined with the sudden emergence of the dominant Bayer Leverkusen meant that the 31-year-old finished the year empty-handed, and he now needs to wait at least another year for the first major honour in his career. 1 Cristiano Ronaldo After winning three consecutive Champions League titles, another four Ballon d'Or awards and cementing his legacy as a Real Madrid legend, Cristiano Ronaldo decided in 2018 that it was time for a new adventure. In a move that sent shockwaves around the sport, the Portuguese legend moved to Juventus as he looked to conquer Italy.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo feature among the best XI of players that have already celebrated their 35th birthday. The ultimate goal was to bring the Old Lady their first Champions League title since 1996. He was unable to do that but did still get his hands on the Serie A title and was as lethal as ever in front of goal before securing a return to Manchester United in 2021.
All statistics and salaries courtesy of Transfermarkt and Capology (Correct as of 10/08/2024).
