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Cristiano Ronaldo has reportedly failed a Covid-19 test and will be denied the reunion with Lionel Messi in the Champions League.
The Juventus forward has been out of action since testing positive for coronavirus in Portugal earlier this month.
And the former Manchester United and Real Madrid star will be unavailable to renew his on-field rivalry with Messi’s Barcelona in the biggest clash of the tournament this season, reported in Italy.
The Portuguese and the Argentine have won 11 of the last 12 Ballons d’Or and only Luka Modric in 2018 interrupted their world dominance.
Juventus have lacked a killer touch this season without their £ 100 million signing, while Barcelona remain a club in crisis after Messi’s failed bid to leave in the summer.
(Image: Portuguese Football Federation ()
And the first meeting of the two best players in the world since Ronaldo left Real Madrid in 2018 would have been a great occasion.
“Messi and Ronaldo have been doing extraordinary things for 15 years and are still at the top despite their advanced age,” Juventus coach Andrea Pirlo said.
“Messi is still at the top and is part of the history of world football. I have faced him many times as a player and tomorrow for the first time as a coach.
“These players should be treated differently, hoping they are not at their best that day. Without a doubt, my players will have to sacrifice themselves and play a great game.
“This is the kind of game that everyone wants to play.”
Pirlo lost his last game as a Juventus player against Barcelona in the 2015 UEFA Champions League final in Berlin.
(Image: AFP / Getty Images)
“Everyone would like to play it again, but it is part of the past and it remains there,” he said.
The Ronaldo case has caused a political storm in Italy with sports minister Vincenzo Spadafora insisting that the player ‘violated protocol’ by leaving the Juventus ‘bubble’ to go to international service after the positive Covid cases in the Turin club.
The Portuguese, who has not shown symptoms, returned to Italy by private jet and has been in self-isolation at his villa for fifteen days.
Speaking earlier Tuesday at the pre-match press conference, Pirlo said: “We are waiting for the test result and then we will decide what to do. It’s not easy to play the whole game after 15 days of inactivity ”.
But statistics show that Juventus win 73% of Serie A matches with Ronaldo, and only 50% without him, while captain Giorgio Chiellini is injured and Leonardo Bonucci and Matthijs de Ligt face condition tests. late physics.
(Image: REUTERS)
Juventus are undefeated with Pirlo, who replaced Maurizio Sarri in the summer, but is fifth in Serie A.
But the weekend’s defeat at El Clásico leaves Barcelona 12th in La Liga after three games without a win as the civil war at the club continues.
Gerard Piqué criticized the club last week for the treatment of Messi, and the revelations that Barcelona had paid a public relations firm to discredit the players during the summer dispute over salary cuts.
“Messi deserves everything; the new stadium should have his name first and then the sponsor, ”said the Spain defender. “We must preserve our decorative figures, not underestimate them. It really affects me. “
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