10 most expensive players aged 30 plus

#2 Gabriel Batistuta - £23.5m, Fiorentina to Roma, 2000

Gabriel Batistuta led Roma to the Scudetto in his first attempt

Sometimes football does give you the fairytale ending. Recognised as one of the game’s all-time great strikers, Gabriel Batistuta had been plundering goals in Italy’s Serie A for Fiorentina for nine seasons, averaging an astonishing 23 goals a season, but despite his tremendous form in one of the most entertaining teams of the '90s, he couldn’t lead Fiorentina to the Scudetto. So in 2000, when Roma paid £23.5m for him at the age of 31, Fiorentina’s fans let him leave as a hero.

The move worked out in spades as Batistuta hit 21 goals in 31 games for his new club and led them to the league title in his first attempt. It would be the last piece of glory in his career, as his goalscoring exploits then tailed off dramatically, only scoring 6 goals in 2001/02 despite playing 32 times. The 2002 World Cup was also unsuccessful for him as Argentina were eliminated in the group stages and Batistuta only scored one goal.

Despite the rather rough ending to his career, Batistuta remains an icon and so it’s no surprise that he’s still the most expensive 31-year old in football history. The closest comparison would be Robin van Persie, who moved to Manchester United at 29 and immediately led them to the Premier League title, but he was seen as a traitor by Arsenal fans. The fact that Fiorentina’s fans still worshipped Batigol showed his true impact.