European soccer is in the midst of its international break as national squads face off in the UEFA Nations League, and for Portugal that means leaning heavily on star Cristiano Ronaldo. However, this Wednesday when they host Sweden they will be without the services of their star as he isolates after testing positive for COVID-19, the Portuguese national team announced on Tuesday (via ESPN).
No other players have tested positive, but Ronaldo played in Sunday’s scoreless draw with France and against Spain last week, posting a picture on Monday of he and the entire Portugal team having a meal together.
Unidos dentro e fora do campo!
#todosportugal pic.twitter.com/4bQSUIPm2m
— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) October 12, 2020
Ronaldo won’t just be absent from Portugal’s action on Wednesday, but as he continues to isolate it seems likely that he misses Juventus’ first games back from the international break, including possibly the first Champions League game against Dynamo Kiev. The Juventus team had been quarantined prior to the break at a hotel in Turin after two staffers tested positive, but Ronaldo left early to join the Portuguese squad.
Given the more stringent protocols in place in Italy, a country that had one of the world’s worst COVID-19 outbreaks earlier this year, he will have to not only meet those protocols but also deal with potential punishment for leaving quarantine early to go to Portugal.