Who are the most expensive players over 30?

• There are several footballers over 30 years who are still more expensive than many youngsters in the football world. 
• Cristiano Ronaldo is the most expensive footballer over 30 of all time. The Portuguese forward cost Juventus over 100 million euros in July 2018. 
• Robert Lewandowski might soon join the list if he completes the move to FC Barcelona this summer. Barca are planning to offer Bayern 50 million euros for the striker. 

Highly talented players are the most expensive footballers in the world. Paris Saint Germain stars Neymar Jr and Kylian Mbappe are still the most expensive players in football history. Neymar Jr joined Paris Saint Germain from FC Barcelona in 2017 for 200 million euros. Kylian Mbappe also joined PSG in the same summer transfer window from Monaco for 180 million euros. 

Age is key when signing players, and that is why young players are very expensive in the transfer market. There are few players over 30 who cost more than 50 million euros.

Robert Lewandowski will likely join the list of most expensive players over 30 if he moves to FC Barcelona this summer. The La Liga giants are planning to sign Robert Lewandowski from Bayern Munich for 50 million euros. 

This article will look at the most expensive players over 30 of all time. 

1. Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo is the most expensive player over 30 of all time. The Portuguese forward set the record in July 2018 when he moved to Juventus from Real Madrid. 

Juventus paid Real Madrid 112 million euros for Cristiano Ronaldo. During the big transfer, Ronaldo was 33. 

Juventus benefitted from Cristiano’s transfer as he helped them win five major trophies. Cristiano Ronaldo scored 101 goals in 134 games for the Old Lady before joining Manchester United last summer.

Cristiano Ronaldo is the most expensive player over 30. Photo/ Marca.

Besides being the most expensive player over 30, Cristiano Ronaldo is among the few players to command a transfer fee in the region of 100 million euros more than once. 

2. Miralem Pjanic

Miralem Pjanic is one of the most underrated midfielders in the world. The FC Barcelona star is the second most expensive player over 30. 

Pjanic cost FC Barcelona 65 million euros during the summer transfer window of 2020. The Spanish giants signed the star midfielder from Juventus when he was 30. 

However, things never worked out well for Miralem Pjanic at the Camp Nou. The Bosnian international struggled to impress as he made six league starts before being loaned out to Besiktas for the 2021-22 season. Pjanic is currently back at FC Barcelona after his loan spell.

3. Leonardo Bonucci

Leonardo Bunucci is one of the best centre-backs the football world has ever seen. Bonucci is the third most expensive player over 30. 

Bonucci cost AC Milan 42 million euros during the 2017 summer transfer window. The Italian centre-back, who was by then 30, made 35 league appearances for AC Milan, scoring twice.

Juventus signed him from AC Milan in 2018 for 35 million euros. Leonardo Bonucci is the captain of Juventus and the Italian national team. 

4. Paulinho

Jose Paulo Bezerra, popularly known as Paulinho, is one of the best midfielders from Brazil. Paulinho ranks fourth in the list of most expensive players over 30. 

The star midfielder’s career seemed to be winding up in the summer of 2015 when Tottenham Hotspurs sold him to Chinese club, Guangzhou Evergrande. Paulinho spent two seasons with Guangzhou scoring 28 goals and providing 8 assists. Paulinho helped Guangzhou win four major titles during his two seasons with the club.

His impressive performance prompted FC Barcelona to sign him from the Chinese club for 40 million euros in 2017. Paulinha, who was 30, helped FC Barcelona win the La Liga and the Copa del Rey in his first season.

Paulinha joined Barca in 2017. Photo/ The Sun.

Paulinha returned to Guangzhou on loan for the 2018-19 season before the move was made permanent during the summer transfer window of 2019. The Brazilian star is currently playing for Corinthians, where he is winding his career. 

5. Radja Nainggolan 

Radja Nainggolan has spent nearly his entire career playing for Italian clubs. The Belgian midfielder has played in Serie A for Cagliari, Inter Milan and AS Roma. He was considered one of the best central midfielders in the world during his time with AS Roma. 

Nainggolan’s solid performance in the midfield led to Inter Milan signing him for 38 million euros. The star midfielder was 30 years old during his move to Inter Milan. 

Nainggolan is currently playing for Antwerp in the Belgian League after failing to impress at Inter Milan.