Cristiano Ronaldo returns to Italy to finish isolating after testing positive for coronavirus
- The Juventus forward, Ronaldo, travels on a ‘medical flight’ from Lisbon to Turin on Wednesday to finish his isolation period
The Juventus forward travelled on a “medical flight” from Lisbon to Turin on Wednesday to finish his isolation period.
“Cristiano Ronaldo returned to Italy with a medical flight authorised by the competent health authorities at the request of the player and will continue his fiduciary isolation at his home,” Juventus said in a statement.
The Portuguese daily Record had earlier showed images of the small jet-engine plane it said was used by Ronaldo. The white, blue and red aircraft had the word “ambulance” painted on its engines.
Ronaldo tested positive two days before the team’s Nations League match against Sweden in Lisbon. He was dropped from the squad after another test on Tuesday confirmed the positive result. He had played in the Nations League match against France on Sunday, and against Spain in a friendly last week.
No one else in the Portuguese squad had tested positive ahead of Wednesday’s match against Sweden, which it won 3-0 with a pair of goals by Ronaldo’s replacement Diogo Jota. Ronaldo posted a photo on his social media accounts with him wearing Portugal’s jersey in front of a television set with the game on.
“It’s as if I was there,” he wrote.
Ronaldo began his isolation at the team’s training centre on Monday. Images published by Portuguese media on Tuesday showed him on a balcony overlooking his teammates practising at the training centre. In one of the photos, he was shown giving the thumbs-up sign.
Before the Monday test result was known, Ronaldo posted a photo showing him and the rest of the Portugal squad having a meal together. The players were all close to each other at a table, with a smiling Ronaldo apparently taking the photo at the front end.
The Portuguese soccer federation showed images of the players walking while wearing masks on Wednesday. Two other Portugal players, Jose Fonte and Anthony Lopes, tested positive for Covid-19 recently.
Ronaldo was likely to miss Juventus’ Serie A match at Crotone on Saturday and the team’s Champions League opener at Dynamo Kiev on Tuesday. And depending on his condition and the results of future tests, he could also miss the much-anticipated match against Barcelona on October 28.
Juventus had been in isolation following positive tests for two staff members, but Ronaldo and six other players were allowed to leave and join their national teams. On Wednesday, midfielder Weston Mckennie tested positive for the virus and Juventus said its players and staff will go back into isolation in the club hotel in the evening.
Other soccer players who have tested positive for Covid-19 recently include Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, Paul Pogba, Paulo Dybala, Angel Di Maria, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Diego Costa.
The Portuguese government on Wednesday announced new restrictions to help contain a surge in coronavirus cases.
