Ronaldo wins court case against Juventus

Cristiano Ronaldo has secured a legal victory against his former club Juventus after a Turin labor court ruled that the Italian giants are not entitled to recover €9.8 million previously paid to the Portuguese forward.

The decision brings an end, at least for now, to a legal dispute that originated from salary arrangements made during the COVID-19 pandemic and later escalated into arbitration and court proceedings.

The dispute dates back to Ronaldo’s final period at Juventus, when the club implemented salary deferrals as football grappled with the financial impact of the pandemic. When Ronaldo left Turin to rejoin Manchester United in 2021, he was still owed €19.6 million in deferred wages.

In 2023, Ronaldo initiated legal action against Juventus, pushing the case to arbitration.

In April 2024, an arbitration panel ruled that Juventus should pay half of the claimed amount, €9.8 million, after determining that a private agreement between the club and the player was invalid due to the absence of Ronaldo’s signature.

That private agreement was also part of a broader investigation conducted by Italian authorities into Juventus’ financial practices during the pandemic.

Juventus subsequently appealed the arbitration ruling, seeking to recover the €9.8 million already paid. However, Turin labor judge Gian Luca Robaldo rejected the club’s appeal, confirming that Ronaldo is entitled to retain the funds.

The court’s ruling also orders Juventus to pay the associated legal costs, further compounding the club’s loss in the case.

Juventus has stated that the judgment will not affect its current financial statements, noting that the €9.8 million payment had already been accounted for in the club’s 2023–24 budget.

In a brief statement, the club confirmed it is reviewing the court’s decision to assess whether there are grounds for any further legal action.

The ruling represents a clear legal victory for Cristiano Ronaldo in one of the most high-profile wage disputes involving a modern football superstar.

It also served as another reminder of the lingering legal and financial consequences stemming from pandemic-era agreements across European football.

Whether Juventus will pursue additional appeals remains uncertain, but for now, the court’s decision firmly closes this chapter in Ronaldo’s favor.