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Footballers are getting quicker, cleverer and fitter with every passing year. Gone are the days when strikers would retire a few years into their thirties. Modern technology, club dieticians and fitness programmes have made it possible for most players to thrive despite being well 'past their prime'.
There is just something about goalscorers that makes even the stingiest of club owners open up their pockets. Often, centre-forwards can play a key role in winning trophies, negotiating relegation battles or securing European spots.
However, in the past two decades, there has been a lot of emphasis on signing strikers above the age of 30. It is perhaps because they are wiser, more experienced, and do their primary job of scoring goals better than most. Thus, it is no surprise that extravagant amounts have been spent over the years to procure them.
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On that note, here's a look at the ten most expensive strikers aged 30 and above in football history.
#10 Olivier Giroud - €17 million (2018)
Olivier Giroud was a bargain signing, considering what he achieved during his stint at Chelsea.
The French striker had arrived in the Premier League in 2012. Although not a big-game player, the centre-forward managed 105 goals and 45 assists in 253 games for Arsenal. However, he was offload by the club in January 2018, following the arrival of Pierre Emerick Aubameyang.
Chelsea happily swooped up the 33-year-old for a mere €17 million. Although he was not expected to play a massive part, he turned quite a few heads with his performances.
Giroud lacked the pace to get past defenders, but his ability to bring his teammates into the game made him a fan-favourite at Stamford Bridge.
The French international went on to play a pivotal role in their 2018 FA Cup and 2019 UEFA Europa League triumphs. His contributions were also vital in Chelsea securing a top-four spot alongside some talented youngsters in Frank Lampard's first season (2019-20) at the club.
The former Arsenal striker eventually left the Blues last summer, following their UEFA Champions League triumph. He may not have been a prolific goalscorer for Chelsea. However, his 53 goal contributions in 119 appearances shall always be remembered fondly by the West London faithful.
#9 Zlatan Ibrahimovic - €21 million (2012)
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has played at some of the best clubs in the world during his illustrious career.
He is currently plying his trade at AC Milan,, but one can argue that the Swede played his best football at Paris Saint-Germain. Although the French club often splash the cash on transfers without blinking an eye, the Malmo academy graduate turned out to be an inexpensive signing.
Following his first stint with the Rossoneri, Ligue 1 giants PSG brought the then-31-year-old to the Parc des Princes for €21 million in the summer of 2012.
It proved to be arguably the most successful transfer for PSG since their acquisition by their Qatari owners.
In the four years he spent in the French capital, Ibrahimovic scored 156 goals and provided 61 assists in just 180 appearances. He helped the club win four Ligue 1 titles, two French Cups, four French Super Cups, and three French league Cups.
He may not have been able to win the elusive-Champions League for PSG, but he had a glorious stint with them nonetheless. Since leaving them on a free transfer in 2016, he has played for Manchester United and LA Galaxy before arriving in the red half of Milan again.
#8 Nikola Kalinic - €22.5 million (2017)
Nikola Kalinic is one of the oddest signings in AC Milan history. The Croatian international had a great stint at Fiorentina, so Milan were ready to try him out at the San Siro.
The Rossoneri signed him on an initial loan deal in 2017 with the option of buying him the next year.
The centre-forward only had 12 goal contributions in 41 games in his first season, but then-Milan manager Gennaro Gattuso was convinced of Kalinic's abilities.
The Serie A giants signed the then-30-year-old for €22.5 million with an eye on returning to the Champions League. Unfortunately, due to Serie A's financial fair play rules, they had to sell him that same summer for €15 million.
It was a massive setback for the club, but they will not feel a lot of regret over it, as Kalinic has only scored 14 goals for three different clubs since his Milan departure.
#7 Marko Arnautovic - €25 million (2019)
Marko Arnautovic is one of those players who felt his talents better suited Chinese football than in Europe. After scoring 22 goals in 65 appearances for West Ham United, the Austrian departed the East London club in the summer of 2019.
Chinese Super League Shanghai Port landed the then 30-year-old, shelling out €25million for the player. Arnautovic scored 20 goals in 39 appearances for the Chinese team before returning to Europe after two years.
He currently plays for Bologna, but doesn't appear to be the same player he once was. The Hammers might feel pretty good about churning out reasonable money for Arnautovic when the time was right.
#6 Samuel Eto'o - €27 million (2009)
Samuel Eto'o is one of the greatest strikers of the 21st century, but made some questionable transfer moves during his career.
After being a hit with Barcelona, Inter Milan signed him in 2009, and the player flourished underJose Mourinho. In his debut campaign in the blue half of Milan, he won the continental treble, playing a key role in winning the UEFA Champions League trophy. That made him the first player to win the continental treble with different clubs in successive years.
Eto'o performed just as well in his next campaign with Inter, so it didn't make sense when he departed the Nerazzurri in 2011. What was even more odd was that the then 30-year-old signed for little-known Russian side Anzhi Makachkala for €27 million. Anzhi had finished a lowly 11th in the Russian Premier League in their previous campaign.
Eto'o went on to score 36 goals in 73 games for the Russian club. but few could understand his reasons for joining Anzhi. He later returned to play in Europe's top-five leagues (Chelsea, Everton, Sampdoria) before retiring in 2019.
Anzhi might argue they got their money's worth, but the Nerrazzuri can also make the same case, given their precarious finances at that time.
#5 Diego Milito - €28 million (2009)
Diego Milito is arguably one of the best signings in Inter Milan history. Jose Mourinho wanted to win big titles with the San Siro club, so he needed an exemplary centre-forward to lead his line. He signed Samuel Eto'o and Milito, who had scored 60 goals in 94 appearances for Genoa.
It was admirable how the Nerrazzuri paid a whooping €28 million for the then 30-year-old, despite Milito having little experience of playing at a big club. However, the move paid rich dividends. The striker played a key role in their continental treble in 2010, scoring 30 times across competitions. He scored twice in the 2-0 victory against Bayern Munich in the Champions League final.
Although his strike partner Eto'o left the club in 2011, Milito spent a stellar five years with the Nerazzurri, bagging 75 goals and 31 assists and winning six titles.
In 2014, the Argentinian international joined boyhood side Racing Club before retiring a few years later. The gifted striker is still remembered fondly by Inter fans for his contributions during some tough times for the club.
#4 Anthony Modeste - €29 million (2018)
Anthony Modeste had the potential to be a big star, but never really realised his optimum potential. The Frenchman had the silky skills of most players from his country, but his attitude was a problem. After impressing at multiple French clubs and Bundesliga side 1899 Hoffenheim, FC Koln signed the striker.
He was very useful to them for a couple of years, netting 45 times, after which they decided to loan him out to Chinese Super League club Tianjin Tianhai. The East Asian club signed the 30-year-old permanently for €29 million in July 2018. However, the move never worked out, and there were considerable problems between him and the Chinese club.
In August 2018, the centre-forward went AWOL, and returned to FC Koln later in the year. The German club were happy to sign him back on a free transfer as Modeste was in the midst of suing the East Asian side, who, in turn, counter-sued. Thus, it was an odd transfer, but the Bundesliga club might only care about the profit they turned on a player who continues to play for them.
#3 Chris Wood - €30 million (2022)
Chris Wood is the most recent addition to this list, following his big-money move to relegation-battling Newcastle United in January 2022.
The New Zealand international played for ten different clubs (including loan spells) before signing for Burnley in 2017. The Clarets were battling relegation when they signed him, but he helped them secure a seventh-place finish in his debut campaign at Turf Moor. In fact, the centre-forward has been a key reason behind the club staying up for the next few years.
Burnley have continued to battle relegation this season, but Wood has now jumped ship to another club that could drop to the Championship. Newcastle United have been keen on signing a No 9 since their takeover by a Saudi-led consortium last year. The Magpies splashed out €30 million to sign the 31-year-old this transfer window.
Money might not be an issue for the richest club in the world, but they would want Wood to ensure the Magpies stay in the top flight next season.
#2 Gabriel Batistuta - €36.2 million (2000)
Gabriel Batistuta was arguably the best striker of his generation, and is still remembered for his stellar spell in Serie A. He scored 183 goals for three different clubs, with most of his strikes coming for Fiorentina.
After catching the eye at several Argentinian clubs, Fiorentina signed the centre-forward in the summer of 2000, and the move paid off big time. The striker led them to multiple domestic trophies, scoring 203 goals in 331 games for La Viola. AS Roma admired the South American star, and were eager to land him, despite Batigol being on the wrong side of 30.
In July 2000, they chunked out €36.2 million for the then 31-year-old, marking the highest fee paid for a striker above 30 at the time.
Batistuta justified his signing by delivering the league title in his debut season in Rome. Although his form tapered off in the next two campaigns, the Stadio Olimpico outfit never had any regrets about paying a big fee for the legendary Argentine.
Batistuta or 'Batigoal', as they called him, retired in 2005 after a memorable spell in Italy.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo - €117 million (2018)
It is no surprise that Cristiano Ronaldo tops this list. The five-time Balllon d'Or winner is arguably the greatest player to grace the game, thanks to his imperious exploits over the years.
The Portuguese international has been highly consistent during his trophy-laden career. After excelling at Manchester United, he joined Real Madrid in 2009 on a then world-record transfer of €100 million. The legendary striker spent nine memorable seasons at the Santiago Bernabeu. He scored a staggering 450 goals in 438 games and won four Champions League titles in five years at the club, along with two La Liga triumphs.
Juventus, who have not won the Champions League since their lone triumph in 1996, wanted to bring Europe's premier trophy back to Turin following their Serie A domination. They signed the greatest goalscorer in the history of the tournament, dishing out a mammoth €117 million to convince Real Madrid to let go of their prized asset.
Although the centre-forward scored an impressive 101 goals in 134 games for the Serie A side, he could not deliver the elusive Champions League.
He won the Scudetto in his first two seasons at the club, before Inter Milan broke Juventus' near decade-long stranglehold last year. Ronaldo scored 29 times to win his first Capocannoniere award. However, he couldn't help the Bianconeri successfully defend their league title, and re-joined Manchester United for €23 million at the start of the 2021-22 season.
Ronaldo scored a lot of goals for the Turin outfit, but struggled to replicate his Real Madrid exploits in the Champions League for the Bianconeri. He scored only 14 goals in the competition in three years. However, it can be said that Juventus arguably didn't have the right players to complement Ronaldo and conquer Europe for the first time in nearly three decades.
