The amount represents the discrepancy between Ronaldo’s actual salary and his expected salary following tax and other deductions.
Cristiano Ronaldo, a Portuguese sensation, will receive 9.7 million euros ($10.4 million) from Juventus as back pay for the 2020–21 campaign, the Italian courts declared on Wednesday.
Ronaldo filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration, which found that Juve Turin “orders Juve Turin to pay the sum of 9,774,166.66 euros” plus interest and legal fees.
The amount is equivalent to the discrepancy between Ronaldo’s actual salary and his expected salary after taxes and other deductions.
Before moving to Manchester United (2021–22) and eventually Al Nassr, a Saudi club, Ronaldo played three seasons in Italy with Juventus (2018–21). He was claiming 19.5 million euros, but the arbitration panel cut that amount by half.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner made $136 million in 2023, including $46 million in salary, making him the highest-paid sportsman in the world, according to rankings compiled by the American business magazine Forbes.
Juve, a publicly traded company, disclosed in October that it had lost 123.7 million euros during the fiscal year 2022–2023 that ended at the end of June.
The most successful football club in Italy, currently third in Serie A, has not set aside any money in its accounts to cover this backlog of wages.