Cristiano Ronaldo is used to headlines being written in goals, trophies, and record-breaking nights — but this time the story comes with a very different scoreboard. Cristiano Ronaldo is set to receive important financial windfall coming from one of his former clubs, and it will arrive not from a stadium, but from a courtroom. The decision closes one of the most awkward off-field sagas linked to his time in Italy, and it leaves Serie A giant Juventus nursing another public setback connected to the pandemic-era “salary manoeuvres.”
The essentials are simple: a labour court in Turin dismissed the appeal filed by Juventus, meaning the club cannot recover the money it already paid Ronaldo following an arbitration ruling. The amount at the heart of the dispute was described across reports as roughly as about $11 million at current exchange rates. The result: Ronaldo keeps the payment, and Juventus absorbs another expensive consequence of a period that still haunts its balance sheets and reputation.
This latest decision also matters because the Italians had tried to flip the outcome — not only contesting the previous ruling, but also pushing for the money to be returned after paying it. The Turin Labour Court said no. However, Juventus’ appeal was rejected, so Ronaldo keeps roughly $11 million already paid to him.
Ronaldo’s Juventus spell ended in 2021, when he returned to Manchester United, but a significant financial issue remained unresolved from the COVID-19 era. During the pandemic, the Serie A outfit negotiated arrangements with players involving wage cuts or wage deferrals — a critical difference that later became central to legal arguments.
Cristiano Ronaldo of Juventus reacts during the Serie A match.
The case focused on money Ronaldo believed he was still owed from that period. Reports described a side agreement related to delayed salary, and the broader set of agreements became part of the scrutiny surrounding Juventus’ financial practices. The 40-year-old veteran ultimately went down the legal route in search of what he argued was unpaid salary. The case moved through arbitration, then into the labour court system once Juventus appealed.
Why Ronaldo beat Juventus in court
Here’s the core of why the case landed in Ronaldo’s favour: the court upheld an earlier arbitration outcome that already forced Juventus to pay him, and it rejected the team’s attempt to claw that money back.
One major issue was the validity and documentation of the salary arrangement during COVID-19 — including mention that written evidence linked to the agreement did not include Ronaldo’s signature, weakening Juventus’ position when arguing the deal should be enforced in the way the club presented it.
Cristiano Ronaldo of Juventus celebrates after winning the Coppa Italia Final
The arbitration tribunal had previously taken a middle-line approach: it rejected the idea that Juventus fraudulently deceived Ronaldo, but still ordered the club to pay him about half of what he was seeking, plus related costs and interest. The Bianconeri paid — then appealed — and now that appeal has been dismissed by the Turin Labour Court.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the money Ronaldo keeps is commonly described as roughly as about $11 million, tied to unpaid/deferred wages from the COVID-19 period. Several reports also state Juventus was ordered to cover additional legal expenses of around $93,000.
