Cristiano Ronaldo to take legal action against Juventus

Suraj Radia

• 20 Jan 2023 14:24 GMT
• 2 min read

Cristiano Ronaldo is reportedly ready to take legal action against Juventus over unpaid wages after a document leaked, proving he is still owed money by the club.

Ronaldo spent three years with the Italian side between 2018 and 2021 and was part of the team when Juventus announced players would give up four months wages to help the team financially during the pandemic.

However, Juventus are under investigation by Italian authorities due to financial irregularities, with the club accused of paying players off the books according to documents seized in recent months

RECAP: Juventus and their latest scandal

Juve officials allegedly signed a document promising to pay Ronaldo €19.6 million by July 2021 even if he left the club, a debt which should not exist legally as it was never registered on the balance sheets.

The scandal has seen the entire Juve board resign and the club face the prospect of numerous penalties including a potential points deduction.

Prosecutors have asked for a nine-point deduction for Juve as well as a 16-month prison sentence for former director Andrea Agnelli, as well as 20 months and 10 days for Fabio Paratici, who is now at Tottenham.

What does this mean for Juventus this season?

A points deduction would be catastrophic for Juventus, who have struggled under Max Allegri this season, with the Bianconeri already ten points off leaders Napoli in Serie A.

A nine-point loss would see them fall outside the European places and draw further turmoil to a team who finished trophyless last season for the first time since 2011.

The club are also considering selling crucial first team players to account for any fines and further financial losses they may incur, drawing doubts over the futures of players like Dusan Vlahovic and Federico Chiesa.

DEPARTURES: Five players who could leave Juventus this month

Juventus were knocked out of the Champions League at the group stage, losing five of their six games, but Allegri’s side went on a run of eight Serie A wins in a row before a disappointing 5-1 loss to Napoli in their last match.