Juventus Loses Appeal in Ronaldo Wage Dispute

Juventus has lost an appeal to overturn a court ruling that awarded former striker Cristiano Ronaldo millions in unpaid wages, as confirmed by the Serie A club to ESPN.

On Monday, a labor court in Turin dismissed Juventus’ appeal, meaning Ronaldo will not have to repay the €9.75 million ($11.4 million) he has already received, along with accrued interest.

Additionally, Juventus will be responsible for covering legal costs amounting to approximately €80,000 ($86,000).

An arbitration tribunal had determined in April 2024 that Juventus owed half of the €19.5 million ($20.81 million) claimed by the Portuguese captain for outstanding wages linked to a pay cut agreed upon during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This recent ruling is not expected to adversely affect Juventus’ financial performance, as the amount in question had already been disbursed to Ronaldo and accounted for in the 2023-24 budget.

The club retains the option to appeal to a higher court, and Juventus has indicated that its legal team will review the ruling in the coming days to decide on potential further actions.

Ronaldo, who currently captains Al Nassr, joined Juventus in August 2018 and contributed to the club’s success, securing back-to-back Serie A titles, an Italian Cup, and two Super Cups, before returning to Manchester United in August 2021.

Ronaldo’s legal team released a statement, noting, “The judge dismissed all objections raised by the club and reaffirmed the correct application of civil law principles regarding pre-contractual liability and the protection of legitimate expectations.

“Ronaldo had agreed to temporarily forgo part of his salary during the pandemic; however, Juventus failed to honor the agreement, violating the trust of the Portuguese champion.”