Cristiano Ronaldo Wins Huge Financial Court Case Against Former Club

Five years of legal disputes may not be over just yet.

Cristiano Ronaldo has been disputing with Juventus since 2021. | Fayez Nureldine/AFP/Getty Images

Cristiano Ronaldo has won his latest legal battle against former employers Juventus over unpaid salary from the COVID-19 period.

When Ronaldo left Juventus for Manchester United in 2021, he argued he was entitled to €19.6 million ($22.8 million at current exchange rates) in outstanding wages which the Serie A side argued he had opted to pass up to help the club during a tricky financial period.

In April 2024, a court ruled in Ronaldo’s favor, questioning the legitimacy of Juventus’ agreement with their former striker during a controversial period of financial mismanagement. The Bianconeri were ordered to pay €9.8 million—half of the requested amount—and duly did so.

Juventus lodged an appeal of the ruling, seeking to recover the money paid to Ronaldo, but judge Gian Luca Robaldo has dismissed their claims.

The saga may not be over yet, however. Juventus have the right to once again appeal this ruling and are now weighing up their options.

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The Full Story of Ronaldo’s Dispute With Juventus

Ronaldo left Juventus in 2021. | Fabrizio Carabelli/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images

The COVID-19 period was a tough one for clubs across the globe as the loss of matchday revenues from fans quarantined in their homes saw income tumble. Paying players their full wages every week became a real problem for many.

As a result, Juventus were one of several teams to reach agreements over wage deferrals with their players. Those who agreed were still entitled to all of the money owed to them in their contract, but those payments would be made further down the line once incomes started to rise again.

The complication with Ronaldo is that he left Juventus in 2021 and the Serie A side argued that, as part of his switch to United, he confirmed Juve had no further financial commitments to him. Their argument was that this should include the unpaid salary.

Ronaldo ultimately took the Turin outfit to court in search of his unpaid salary, and investigators noted that Juve’s written evidence of their agreement with Ronaldo did not include the Portugal international’s signature and was therefore invalid.

As a result, a court ordered Juventus to pay up, but it was decided that Juve had not intentionally tried to deceive Ronaldo, whose delay in seeking the payments also contributed to the reduced pay-out.

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