Italian football club Juventus will have to pay 9.7 million euros ($10.4 million) to former Portuguese player Cristiano Ronaldo in back wages for the 2020-2021 season, according to what the Italian court announced on Wednesday.
The arbitration court to which Ronaldo filed the lawsuit said in its decision, “The court obligates Juventus of Torino to pay an amount of 9.7 million euros,” in addition to interest and court costs.
The amount is equivalent to the difference between the actual salary that Ronaldo received and the one he was supposed to receive after deducting taxes and other deductions.
Ronaldo, who played for Juventus for three seasons (2018-2021) before returning to Manchester United in England (2021-2022) and from there to Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, demanded 19.5 million euros, but the court reduced the amount by 50 percent.
Juventus refused to comment after being contacted by Agence France-Presse, but indicated that it would publish a statement “soon.”
According to the American business magazine Forbes, five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo was the highest-paid athlete in the world in 2023, with $136 million, including $46 million in salaries.
Last October, Juventus, the most decorated in Italy, announced losses amounting to 123.7 million euros in the 2022-2023 fiscal year, which extended until the end of June.
No measures have been taken within the calculations of Juventus, which currently ranks third in the league and is trying to save its season from the Italian Cup gate, where it faces seventh-placed Lazio in the semi-finals on April 23, to pay these late salaries.
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