Cristiano Ronaldo has tested positive for coronavirus, Portuguese football authorities announced today.
The 35-year-old superstar is asymptomatic but has gone into isolation and will miss Portugal’s match against Sweden on Wednesday.
The news comes just days after the five-time Ballon d’Or winner played for Portugal against France in the Nations League and Spain in an international friendly, meaning that he has come into recent contact with a host of football’s top stars.
There is also concern for his international team-mates after Ronaldo posed for a picture with them just hours before the news was announced, with the former Manchester United and Real Madrid star smiling for a selfie at dinner.
Ronaldo immediately left the national team after returning his positive test and is now a doubt for forthcoming Juventus matches.
Among those sitting close to Ronaldo at the dinner were his former Real Madrid team-mate Pepe and Sergio Oliveira, who also plays for Porto, Daniel Podence of Wolves and Manchester City’s Joao Cancelo. Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes is also in the Portugal squad.
During the game against France on Sunday night, Ronaldo was seen shaking hands and with a number of top stars including PSG’s Kylian Mbappe.
Chelsea’s Olivier Giroud also embraced Ronaldo at full-time, six days before the West London side’s next game against Southampton on Saturday.
France player Eduardo Camavinga swapped shirts with the Portugal star and later posted to say that he ‘wouldn’t wash it’.
Ronaldo played all 90 minutes of the game at the Stade de France in Paris, which ended goalless.
Four days earlier, Ronaldo played in a friendly against Spain in Lisbon, embracing a team-mate and shaking hands with his manager after his second-half substitution.
His close contacts on that occasion included Tottenham Hotspur defender Sergio Reguilon, who is due back for his club side when they play West Ham on Sunday.