When Cristiano Ronaldo left Real Madrid for Juventus in 2018 at the age of 33, he set the bar very high for a transfer from a player in his thirties: 117 million euros. Not only was it (and still is) the most expensive venture for a player aged 30 or over, but it is still the oldest (along with Lewandowski) to move millions of dollars.
The 36-year-old captain could very well be in the news again in this market, which closes in Europe on August 31, as he is still not playing for Manchester United. An exit that will certainly be for lower values than those of four years ago, yet the Portuguese remains the most expensive 30-year-old in football history. And with great advantage… over Pjanic and Robert Lewandowski, announced a few days ago as reinforcements for Barcelona, for 45 million euros. The Pole thus entered the stage of the most expensive transfers of the thirty-year-olds in world football. And he did it at the age of 33, equaling the age record of CR7, who was also 33 when he was signed by Juventus.
The amount the Blaugrana paid has been questioned by some fans as the club is going through an unprecedented financial crisis and it is almost certain that this financial investment will not be recouped given the age of the Pole. Despite his age, the sporting achievement of the one who was voted the best player in the world in 2020 is indisputable: last season 50 goals in 46 matches.
Barcelona is (along with Juventus) the most represented club in the ten most expensive transfers, having already paid €60 million in 2020 for then-Croatian Juventus star Miralem Pjanic…bianconeri with the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Bonucci times two
Five of the ten biggest deals were made by Italian clubs and only one was outside of Europe – Paulinho, for Guangzhou Evergrande of the Chinese league. And there is even a player who was traded twice after he turned 30 and for truly extraordinary values, as he is a central defender and still active. Bonucci’s pass was sold by Juve to AC Milan in July 2017 for 42 million euros, which he recovered a year later for 35 million (!) Turin.
The Italian is not the only experienced center on the list. Last week Chelsea were promoted to Napoli’s 31-year-old Senegalese Koulibaly – after losing Rudiger to Real Madrid and Christensen to Barcelona – for a €38 million investment.
For 17 years, Gabriel Batistuta was the most expensive player in the history of football. The former Argentine attacker, who hung up his shoes in 2005, was 31 years old when he left Fiorentina for AS Roma in 2000 for $36.2 million. Batistuta only lost the record when Bonucci moved to Milan and is still in the top 10 today (see list).
Sadio Mane and not only
Besides Lewandowski and Koulibaly, who came straight into the top 10, there are more players aged 30 and over moving millions into this market. Sadio Mane is one of them. At the age of 30, the Senegalese moved from Liverpool to Munich, in a deal worth €32 million (plus 9, for goals). Equally talented, but without Mane’s sporting consistency, Philippe Coutinho left Barcelona for Aston Villa, where he played on loan from the Catalans last season, for €20 million.
But among the 10 most famous 1930s transfers in this market, there are four that came out at no cost.: Lorenzo Insigne (Toronto), Christian Eriksen (Manchester United), Alexandre Lacazette (Olympique Lyon) and Di Maria (Juventus).
isaura.almeida@dn.pt
Source: El heraldo
Roy Brown is a renowned economist and author at The Nation View. He has a deep understanding of the global economy and its intricacies. He writes about a wide range of economic topics, including monetary policy, fiscal policy, international trade, and labor markets.
