Cristiano Ronaldo Wins Deferred-Wages Case vs Juventus

An Italian court upheld a 2024 ruling that Juventus must pay Cristiano Ronaldo half of the 23 million dollars in deferred wages from 2020 to 2021 salary manoeuvres during Covid. Juve already paid the amount in 2024 and failed in a new appeal, though they may appeal again. Ronaldo scored 101 goals in 134 games for Juventus between 2018 and 2021.

As the long-running dispute between Cristiano Ronaldo and Juventus reached its latest conclusion, an Italian labour court upheld a ruling that awards the Portuguese star half of the deferred salary payments he sought from the Serie A club. Ronaldo had argued he was owed around $23 million in net wages after Juventus players agreed to delay four months of salaries during the COVID-19 lockdown periods in March 2020 and April 2021, when the club’s finances were under strain and stadiums were empty.

The payments, described internally as “salary manoeuvres”, were not properly reported in Juventus’ accounts, prompting Ronaldo to take legal action when the money failed to arrive. An initial arbitration found shared responsibility and ordered Juventus to pay roughly 50 percent of the amount requested, which club president Gianluca Ferrero confirmed had been paid in April 2024. Juventus contested that decision, appealing to the Turin Labour Court, but Judge Gian Luca Robaldo dismissed the challenge and upheld the original ruling.

Although the verdict prevents Juventus from recouping the funds, it does not trigger an additional financial hit because the payment had already been accounted for in their 2023-24 budget. Reports in Italy suggest the club could still pursue another appeal, keeping the saga alive. Ronaldo scored 101 goals in 134 games for Juventus from 2018 to 2021 before spells at Manchester United and Al-Nassr.