Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo is reportedly owed a sizeable €20 million (R391 million) by one of his former clubs in Europe.
The 38-year-old left the continent in favour of a big-money move to Saudi Arabia's Al Nassr in December after having his Manchester United contract terminated by mutual consent in November.
While the player is understood to be pocketing the biggest wages of his career so far in the Middle East, it has now emerged that he he could still have outstanding salary payments owed to him by his former employers in Italy.
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According to Calciomercato, giants Juventus have an outstanding debt of €20 million owed to the five-time Ballon d'Or winner after he agreed to defer some of his wages during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Serie A side have been marred in controversy due to their unscrupulous financial dealings, which saw them receive a 15-point deduction in the league due “financial irregularities” and “false accounting”, while their entire board resigned prior to the sanctions.
It is reported that there's a secret document signed by Juve alluding to the deferred salary but an investigation by Italian authorities indicated Ronaldo did not sign the agreement after consulting with his lawyers.
However, emerging details suggest that the Real Madrid legend could have actually signed the documents as well.
In leaked WhatsApp conversations, Juventus secretary Paolo Morganti wrote: “Cristiano signed” and in a follow-up message a minute later, he added: “He has a copy of all the documents”.
Federico Cherubini, who is the sporting director for the Bianconeri, then responded: “Well!”. Meanwhile, Cesare Gabasio, the leader of the club’s legal department, was also in the chat and added: “The first one ready to sign is Cristiano”.
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