Cristiano Ronaldo to Sue Juventus Over Unpaid Wages Amid Pandemic

South African sports fans wake up to startling news today as Portuguese football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo of Al Nassr, reportedly plans to sue one of his previous clubs, Juventus. This development comes amidst allegations of unpaid wages during the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to reports from trusted Italian publication, La Gazzeeta Dello Sport, amidst financial constraints due to the pandemic, Juventus had reached individual agreements with their players to defer four months of their wages. Ronaldo, who gave the Italian club three successful years from 2018 to 2021, scoring an impressive 101 goals in 134 appearances and contributing to two Serie A titles is now reportedly taking legal action against the club over £17.15m ($22.32m) in unpaid wages.

This €20m sum approximates the net amount the club promised the five-time Ballon d'Or winner when he agreed to defer his wages during the pandemic period. The purported lawsuit by Ronaldo comes after the AS Roma forward and fellow Juventus teammate, Paulo Dybala, reportedly resolved an issue of £2.6m in deferred wages with the Italian club.

The alleged unpaid wages and the handling of the agreement are presently under investigation, shedding light on the potentially rocky financial predicament that notable football clubs find themselves amid a global pandemic.