Juventus has filed an appeal with the Italian Supreme Court in its ongoing legal dispute with Cristiano Ronaldo. This action follows two previous court decisions that favored the Portuguese international. The club is contesting a payment of €9.8 million, which represents unpaid salary during the COVID-19 pandemic period.
This legal battle dates back six years and stems from a so-called “salary maneuver,” where Juventus agreed with its entire squad to defer salary payments. In Ronaldo’s case, officials from Juventus reportedly agreed in 2021 to postpone payment of €19.5 million gross. This amount was not reflected in the club’s balance sheet and was not paid after Ronaldo’s transfer to Manchester United for €17 million in the same summer.
On March 23, 2022, during a search of lawyer Federico Restano’s office in connection with the “Prisma” investigation, which led to the resignation of President Andrea Agnelli and the Board of Directors, a letter was found. In it, Cesare Gabasio, the club’s legal department head, acknowledged to then-sporting director Federico Cherubini that a written agreement with Ronaldo “theoretically should not exist.” Since the document lacked Ronaldo’s signature, he initiated legal action in September 2023, bringing the case to arbitration.
On April 17, 2024, the arbitration panel ruled in favor of Ronaldo, awarding him compensation for half of the claimed amount. The tribunal set the compensation at €9.8 million net, plus interest and inflation adjustments, while clarifying there were no fraudulent intentions from Juventus. However, it noted that the then-goal scorer for the club did not request the amount upon leaving Italy.
Juventus Challenges Ruling at the Supreme Court
Juventus appealed the ruling, but the Turin Tribunal upheld the arbitration decision in January 2026. Following this verdict, the club stated in its latest financial report for the 2025-2026 fiscal year that it has proceeded with an appeal to the highest court, as reported by abola.pt.
“The [Turin Tribunal’s] decision was limited to examining the existence of formal defects in the arbitration ruling, which were invoked in the appeal, and does not represent a decision on the merits of the case. Therefore, it does not alter the conclusions established by the arbitration ruling.
The economic effects stemming from the arbitration ruling have already been reflected in the company’s financial statements starting from the 2023-2024 fiscal year. Consequently, no negative impact is anticipated in current or future financial periods.
Juventus has officially notified its appeal to the Supreme Court as of March 27, 2026, and is awaiting the scheduling of the court hearing date,” the Turin club stated in an official communication.
