Ronaldo's legal dispute over €20m in frozen Juventus wages could rumble on into 2024

Cristiano Ronaldo's legal dispute with Juventus over €19.5 million (£17m/$21m) in frozen wages is set to drag into next year, according to reports.

Ronaldo took the Serie A side to court in June over unpaid wages dating back to the Covid-19 pandemic and the case has dragged on for six months, with the two parties in court on Wednesday to give their closing arguments. While the Court of Arbitration is expected to give its verdict in April next year, there may be one more hearing next month.

The dispute comes surrounding the deferred wages that Juve players agreed to during the Covid-19 pandemic. Ronaldo claims that the Turin club owe him a significant sum, but La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that the Bianconeri insist the Portugal star renounced the wages when he left to join Manchester United in August 2021 and have no intention of paying him.

Ronaldo joined Juve from Real Madrid in 2018 and scored 101 goals in 134 appearances in all competitions, helping the club secure two Serie A and Supercoppa Italiana titles and one Coppa Italia crown before he returned to Old Trafford.

Ronaldo, 38, will wait to find out if there will be another hearing in court in January. In the meantime, he and his Al-Nassr co-stars will take on Steven Gerrard Al-Ettifaq in the Saudi Pro League on Friday. The Riyadh side are second in the table, 10 points behind leaders Al-Hilal.