Judge Rejects Juventus’ Appeal to Recover €9.7 Million of Unpaid Wages to Cristiano Ronaldo
A court has ruled in Cristiano Ronaldo's favour after a long-running legal battle with Juventus.
Charlie Rhodes
Updated on 19 January 2026
Juventus have lost an appeal to recover almost €10 million, after a court ruled them to pay back half of what they owed to former player Cristiano Ronaldo in unpaid wages.
Cristiano Ronaldo departed Juventus in 2021 after a successful individual spell in Turin, but he left with a sour taste.
The Bianconeri still owed Ronaldo €19.6m in outstanding wages – a financial hangover from the Coronavirus pandemic – prompting him to take legal action against Juventus in 2023.
That case went to arbitration, where a panel ruled that Juventus should pay Ronaldo half that sum. It was framed as a private settlement deal between Juve and Ronaldo, although this was also investigated by authorities after they found the agreement did not show a signature from the Portuguese star.
Court Rules Ronaldo Juventus Wages Case in Player’s Favour
Juventus appealed the decision to pay €9.7m to Ronaldo, which has since been rejected in a new ruling this week.
It signals the end of a messy, drawn-out legal tug-of-war between the two parties, which has marred what was otherwise a fruitful transfer.
The rejected appeal means Juventus will not be able to recover the €9.7m paid to Ronaldo.
It also means the club will be ordered to cover the associated legal costs.
Fortunately for cash-strapped Juve, this decision doesn’t have any bearing on their current financial year, with that payment already made and registered in 2024’s financial report.
However, reports reveal there will be around €2m in interest, as well as €80,000 worth of legal costs to cover.
From the outside, it would appear Juve were pushing hard to reclaim what is a substantial sum of money. The club are still wrestling with the financial uncertainty that saw them docked 10 points in 2023, and although it is clear they didn’t really have a leg to stand on in this case, their appeal speaks to their position.
While that would appear to be the end of proceedings, commentators around the case have suggested that Juventus officials will be assessing the decision to see if there are grounds for further legal action.
As for Ronaldo, his counterclaim for nearly €20 million was also denied, leaving the original amount intact.
Charlie Rhodes
Charlie has built a deep portfolio across a wealth of sports websites, with a heavy focus on Europe's top five leagues. He has a long-standing interest in Serie A having grown up watching Football Italia on Channel 4 as a child. With extensive experience tailored towards news, long-form content and heavily researched features, Charlie has also garnered experience in several roles in the fintech and marketing sector.
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