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Portugal and Juventus superstar Cristiano Ronaldo was said to be “fine and basking in the sun” on Tuesday after testing positive for coronavirus, ruling him out of a Nations League match on weekdays with his country.
Ronaldo “is asymptomatic” and “will not play Sweden” in Wednesday’s Nations League game, the Portuguese federation said on its website.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner played Sunday in Portugal’s Nations League goalless draw against France in Paris.
The federation added that the rest of Portugal’s squad gave “all negatives” after testing on Tuesday morning, as did France’s squad, according to the French Football Federation.
“We have respected all health measures … and yet it happened,” Portugal coach Fernando Santos said at a press conference. “We have been testing every day.”
Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini said he had spoken with Ronaldo.
“He’s fine and he was sunbathing, he’ll be back when he’s ready,” he reported.
The 35-year-old forward has scored 101 goals for Portugal and it will be a major absence for his team against Sweden as they aim to stay at the top of their group.
That he contracts the disease is also a blow for Juventus, as the current health protocol for Serie A says that Ronaldo must self-isolate for 10 days and then register a negative test before he can resume play.
That means Ronaldo will miss Juve’s Serie A match at Crotone on Saturday and his first Champions League group stage match at Dynamo Kiev within a week.
He also runs the risk of missing Juve’s Champions League clash with Barcelona on October 28, which was scheduled to pit Ronaldo against long-time rival Lionel Messi.
Chiellini assured that “footballers know that we run risks and we are willing to take them, trying to minimize them as much as possible with all the necessary precautions.
“We have to move forward because we know that football is important economically, and for its social value. There will be other closings in the coming weeks, and I think football is important to the people.
“The real victory is to finish the season, the result is secondary.”
He nodded: “We cannot stop. We are not worried, but it is clear that we often talk about it among ourselves with an awareness of what lies ahead.”
Ronaldo’s test result reopens the controversy over his departure from Turin to Portugal’s training camp, which was, according to local health authorities in the Italian region of Piedmont, a violation of the virus protocol.
Ronaldo and other Juventus stars left to join their national teams despite the Italian champion’s team being isolated after two staff members tested positive for the virus.
Roberto Testi, director of the regional health authority, said that local prosecutors had been informed of the unauthorized departure of the players.
Higher profile
Ronaldo, who has also played for Manchester United and Real Madrid, is the latest high-profile footballer to test positive for COVID-19, which has killed more than a million people since the start of the pandemic earlier this year.
Brazilian forward Neymar, his Paris Saint-Germain teammate Kylian Mbappé and AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic have also tested positive for the virus in recent weeks.
Premier League champions Liverpool isolated Senegalese forward Sadio Mane and Spanish midfielder Thiago Alcantara after testing positive last week.
Also last week, two of Ronaldo’s teammates from Portugal, goalkeeper Anthony Lopes and defender José Fonte, tested positive, forcing them out of Nations League matches.
The international rift has been marked by a host of players contracting the virus as it continues to spread around the world.
The Republic of Ireland had five players discarded just before their Nations League draw with Wales after a team member tested positive for the virus.
Meanwhile, Ukraine had to recruit 45-year-old assistant coach Oleksandr Shovkovsky for last week’s friendly 7-1 loss in France when the virus swept through the team.
Ukraine also lost 2-1 to Germany on Saturday in the Nations League with 14 players lost to injury or positive for the virus.
The coronavirus has killed more than a million people and infected more than 37 million. Many nations that suppressed their first outbreaks are now fighting a second wave.
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