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Portuguese TVI reported that Ronaldo “once against him tested positive for Covid-19” after a swab made by Juventus.
This photograph published on December 7, 2017 by L’Equipe shows the Portuguese player Cristiano Ronaldo posing with the French Ballon d’Or trophy in Paris. Image: AFP.
TURIN – Cristiano Ronaldo has tested positive for coronavirus again on the eve of Juventus’ clash in the Champions League against Barcelona of his great rival Lionel Messi, according to media reports in Italy and Portugal.
Portuguese TVI reported that Ronaldo “once against him tested positive for Covid-19” after a swab carried out by Juventus.
The 35-year-old is now awaiting the result of a UEFA test that, if positive, would rule him out of the Group G match in Turin.
Ronaldo first tested positive for Covid-19 two weeks ago while playing for Portugal, and has been isolated since returning to Italy.
According to TV1, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner has tested positive 18 times.
Ronaldo needed to return a negative test, 24 hours before the game to be able to play, according to UEFA rules.
Juventus only confirm if a player has recovered, and Sky Sport Italia and Gazzetta Dello Sport reported that Ronaldo will miss the Barcelona match.
“Ronaldo had a test like everyone else, tonight (Tuesday) we will have the final result,” coach Andrea Pirlo told a press conference early Tuesday.
“For now everything is on the high seas, when the final result arrives everything will be clearer.
“Depending on the result, we will see what we do. It is not easy to play a full game after 15 days of inactivity.”
Ronaldo, who has no symptoms, has missed three games, including his team’s 2-0 Champions League win against Dynamo Kiev last week.
The clash would be the first between Ronaldo and Messi since the Portuguese forward left Real Madrid for Juventus in 2018.
“For 15 years, Messi and Ronaldo have done great things,” said Pirlo, a former midfielder for Italy and Juventus.
“For the first time, I will take Messi as a coach, I will treat him with the enormous respect he deserves.”
Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman added: “We always want the best to be on the pitch, and Ronaldo is a great player.”
“I don’t know if he will be fit to play, that’s not my problem. But if Ronaldo is there, it’s one more reason for us to be prepared.”
Koeman, like Pirlo, has taken over as coach this season, and the teams top Group G after winning their opening matches.
But the Dutch coach has been under pressure after a 3-1 loss to Real Madrid at the weekend followed by a 1-0 loss to Getafe, the first time in four years that the Catalan giants suffered back-to-back defeats in the league.
Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu also resigned on Tuesday along with his board of directors, following mounting pressure from fans and his public feud with Messi.
‘IT’S NOT A DECISIVE GAME’
Now it seems that Ronaldo and Messi will meet again in the reverse match at Camp Nou on December 8.
Messi, 33, has appeared in four victorious campaigns with Barcelona, while Ronaldo has won the Champions League five times, four with Real Madrid and one with Manchester United.
Messi has six Ballon d’Or titles and Ronaldo has five.
However, Ronaldo has 130 goals in the Champions League to Messi’s 116.
“It’s clear that any team would miss a player like Cristiano,” Brazilian defender Danilo said at the pre-match press conference.
“But we have faith in all the players on the team. We have people who want to do well and help us have a great game.”
Messi has won 16 of his 35 games to Ronaldo’s 10, with the remaining nine ending in draws.
The pair have only met five times in Champions League matches, most recently in the 2011 semi-final.
Pirlo also has defensive concerns with captain Giorgio Chiellini and Matthijs De Ligt, but the strained thigh of his central colleague Leonardo Bonucci will be evaluated on Wednesday morning.
“These are the games that everyone would like to play. We have this opportunity and we are eager to put ourselves to the test against Barcelona,” Pirlo said.
“It is not a decisive match, but we still want to see what our value is.”
Argentine forward Paulo Dybala remains “a bit tired” after playing for 90 minutes in his first game in more than three months last Sunday against Verona.
“It is normal after the first game as a starter. He will have time to recover and play tomorrow night.”
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