Serie A side Juventus has been ordered by the Court of Arbitration to pay former player Cristiano Ronaldo £8.3m in outstanding wages during his time at the Italian club.

The 39-year-old spent three seasons with Juventus and agreed to defer his wages during the peak period of the COVID-19 pandemic which disrupted football activities in the 2020/21 campaign.

He ended up leaving Juventus for his second spell at Manchester United with his outstanding wages yet to be paid by the Italian club, prompting the footballer to take legal action to recover the money.

Ronaldo claimed he was owed more than £17m by Juventus but the arbitration tribunal ruled that the club must pay half of the money requested by the plaintiff.

In a statement sent to Reuters, Juventus said: “The arbitration board … ascertained the validity of [Ronaldo’s] compensation reduction agreement in relation to the 2020/21 sporting season.”

“They partially granted the request made by [Ronaldo] …, ascertaining Juventus’ pre-contractual liability resulting from the failure of negotiations and ordered the defendant to pay an amount of approximately Euro 9.8 million.

“The company, also with the support of its legal counsel, is reviewing the decision made by the arbitration board, reserving all assessments and initiatives to preserve its rights.”

The Portuguese helped the Old Lady win the league title twice during his time at the club.