Juventus Take Cristiano Ronaldo Salary Dispute to Italy’s Highest Court

Juventus have taken their long-running salary dispute with Cristiano Ronaldo to Italy’s Court of Cassation, challenging a ruling that requires the club to pay the Portuguese superstar €9.8 million in outstanding wages. The Turin-based club is seeking to overturn the decision after previous legal proceedings failed to resolve the matter in its favour. The case remains ongoing as Juventus await a hearing date at the country’s highest court.

The dispute dates back to 2021, when Ronaldo left Juventus to rejoin Manchester United. At the centre of the case is an agreement reportedly made during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the club arranged to defer €19.5 million in salary payments. Documents linked to the arrangement, commonly referred to as the Ronaldo letter, later emerged during investigations into Juventus’ financial practices and agreements with players over deferred wages.

In April 2024, an arbitration panel ruled that Juventus had to pay Ronaldo €9.8 million, plus interest and inflation adjustments. The amount represented approximately half of the sum originally claimed by the former Real Madrid and Manchester United forward. Although the panel found no evidence that Juventus had deliberately misled Ronaldo, it concluded that he was entitled to receive the outstanding payment under the terms of the dispute.

Juventus continued to challenge the ruling, but their appeal was rejected by the Turin Labour Court in January 2026, leaving the original decision in place. According to the club’s 2025–26 financial report, Juventus filed a further appeal on March 27, 2026. The case is now awaiting a hearing at the Court of Cassation, which will determine the next stage of the legal battle.

Despite the ongoing proceedings, Juventus have sought to reassure investors that the dispute should not create additional financial pressure. The club stated that the cost associated with the ruling had already been reflected in its financial statements since the 2023–24 reporting period. As a result, Juventus do not expect the case to have a further negative impact on their current or future accounts, although the final legal outcome remains uncertain.