The Portugal national team announced in early October that star Cristiano Ronaldo had tested positive for COVID-19. More than two weeks later, he still isn’t clear to return to the team. Ronaldo has not yet tested negative for coronavirus, forcing the team to rule him out for Juventus vs. Barcelona.
According to reporter Fabrizio Romano, Ronaldo did not test negative 24 hours before the match, so the team ruled him out. The news means that his highly-anticipated battle against Lionel Messi will not take place just yet. The two generational superstars have not faced off against each other since the 2010-11 Champions League semifinals. They could potentially face off on Dec. 8 when Barcelona hosts Juventus.
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Following his positive diagnosis, Ronaldo went into isolation in Turin after returning to Italy. He has reportedly remained asymptomatic since the positive test, but he can still not practice with his teammates or train. He also missed two Serie A matches against Crotone and Hellas Verona, a pair of 1-1 draws. Ronaldo was also absent from the Champions League-opening win over Dynamo Kyiv.
“Cristiano Ronaldo was released from national team duties after a positive test for COVID-19; he will not face Sweden,” the team said in a statement after the positive test. “The Portuguese international is doing well, without symptoms, and in isolation. Following the positive case, the remaining players underwent new tests this Tuesday morning, all with a negative result, and are available to Fernando Santos for training this afternoon, in Cidade do Futebol.”
Ronaldo has been with Portugal since 2003 and has scored 101 goals in his 167 international appearances. In 2016, Ronaldo led Portugal to a UEFA Championship. He joined Juventus in 2018 after stints with Real Madrid and Manchester United. He has appeared in 854 club matches and has scored 641 goals.
While he is a proven talent on the field, Ronaldo is also a very wealthy player. He recently made history as the first soccer player to earn $1 billion in his career. He did so after pulling in $105 million before taxes and fees this past year. He is the third athlete to reach this mark, following Tiger woods (2009) and Floyd Mayweather Jr. (2017).
Ronaldo stands alone, however, considering that he is the first athlete to hit $1 billion in career earnings in a team sport. Former New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez came close during his career. He earned $450 million in salary.
