As players age, their transfer values typically decrease. However, some clubs are still willing to pay top dollar for seasoned veterans. Al-Ittihad are prepared to shell out a massive £118 million for Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, despite the Egyptian winger having already celebrated his 31st birthday earlier this year. If you yukle the Mostbet app, you can bet on Liverpool or the Egyptian’s future club.
Salah’s potential price tag got us pondering other big money moves for players on the wrong side of 30. Consulting transfer data from Transfermarkt, we compiled a list of the 10 largest transfer fees paid for players aged 30 and above.
Veteran players can still command hefty transfer fees, even as they near the twilight of their careers. Some recent examples of big money moves for 30+ footballers.
Paulinho
Returning to his roots, Brazilian midfielder Paulinho surprised many with a £36 million transfer to Chinese club GZ Evergrande in 2018, after just one season at Barcelona. His goal – secure a World Cup roster spot.
Lewandowski
At 35, Polish striker Robert Lewandowski sought a new challenge beyond Bayern Munich. Despite a lengthy negotiation, Barcelona secured his prolific scoring, splashing £38.5 million in 2022. An immediate double in his debut season justified the outlay.
Pjanic
The 2020 swap deal that sent Bosnian midfielder Miralem Pjanic to Barcelona for a mere £51 million and Arthur Melo the other way seemed a miscalculation from the start. As expected, Pjanic quickly flamed out after just 30 appearances.
Casemiro
Desperate for a defensive midfield anchor, Manchester United invested £60.5 million in ageless Real Madrid legend Casemiro in 2022. Early returns suggest it was money well spent.
Neymar
Seeking one final massive payday, 31-year-old Neymar departed European soccer in 2023, commanded an oil money-fueled £77 million transfer to Saudi club Al-Hilal. A disappointing loss for Champions League fans.
Tottenham
After 16 trophyless seasons with Tottenham, 30 year old Harry Kane finally sought a new challenge, securing an £85.7 million transfer to Bayern Munich this summer. Veteran striker Kane tallied an impressive 435 appearances and 280 goals for Spurs, but wanted fresh opportunities to win titles. Bayern manager Thomas Tuchel eagerly acquired Kane’s proven scoring talent to complete his squad. Kane has excelled early on in Germany, netting 3 goals in his first Bundesliga matches for Bayern. Now in his prime at age 30, Kane seems poised to finally claim the winner’s medals that long eluded him in North London.
Ronaldo
Juventus paid a massive £100 million transfer fee to acquire 33-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid in 2018, seeking his veteran goal-scoring talents. Ronaldo proved well worth the investment, netting 101 goals across 3 seasons in Turin, averaging nearly £1 million per goal scored. The Portuguese icon led Juventus to domestic glory but could not deliver the coveted Champions League trophy. Ronaldo provided Juventus fans many memorable moments with his brilliance, even in his 30s. In the end, Juventus enjoyed a profitable return on their record-setting investment in an aging yet still lethal Ronaldo.
