Ronaldo Wins Legal Battle Against Juventus Over Deferred Wages

An Italian court has ruled in favor of Cristiano Ronaldo in his recent legal dispute, upholding a 2024 ruling. Ronaldo had sought £17 million ($23 million) in owed wages from Juventus, the full net amount promised by the Serie A club.

During the COVID-19 lockdown, Juventus players, including Ronaldo, agreed to defer four months’ worth of salaries, a decision made collectively in March 2020 and April 2021. At that time, the club faced financial difficulties as games were played without fans in attendance.

When the payments Ronaldo was owed did not materialize, he initiated legal proceedings against the club. Juventus had not disclosed the deferred wages in their financial statements, categorizing them as “salary maneuvers,” which effectively concealed the funds from their books.

An initial arbitration concluded that both Ronaldo and Juventus bore some responsibility for the situation, resulting in a determination that the club owed Ronaldo half of the requested amount.

In November 2024, Juventus President Gianluca Ferrero announced that Ronaldo had received the payment, stating, “We paid Cristiano Ronaldo in April; there’s no need for any risk fund. We paid 50% of the amount he requested, so there’s no need for a risk fund because the amounts have been paid.”

However, Ferrero also indicated that Juventus would contest the ruling, asserting their disagreement with the shared responsibility established by the court, and planned to appeal the decision at the Turin court.

Juventus’ appeal to the Turin Labour Court has been unsuccessful. Judge Gian Luca Robaldo upheld the initial ruling, preventing the club from recouping the funds transferred to Ronaldo. While this represents a setback for the club, they will not incur further financial repercussions as the amount has already been accounted for in their 2023-24 budget. Reports from Gazzetta dello Sport suggest that another appeal may still be pursued.

Ronaldo, who played for Juventus from 2018 to 2021 after joining from Real Madrid—where he became the club’s all-time leading scorer—netted 101 goals in 134 appearances, contributing to the team’s two Serie A titles, one Coppa Italia victory, and two Super Cup wins.

He returned to Manchester United for a second stint in 2021, which ended with the termination of his contract in November 2022. The prolific forward is currently competing in the Saudi Pro League with Al-Nassr, continuing to perform impressively at the age of 40.