By Tim Parsons-
Cristiano Ronaldo will miss Portugal’s Nations League game against Sweden on Wednesday. after testing positive for coronavirus.
Ironically, Portugal’s most gifted star, also regardless as the best player in the world, is the only player to test positive for Covid-19. The remainder of Fernando Santos’ Portugal squad have tested negative for Covid-19 and are available for selection.
Ronaldo posted an image of himself with the squad around a long table during a meal, with the caption: “United, on and off the field”. A statement from the Portuguese Football Federation (PFF) said ”The Juventus forward is “doing well, without symptoms, and in isolation”, according .
The PFF confirmed in a statement: “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.
“The game (against Sweden), counting for the qualification phase of the Nations League, is scheduled for Wednesday, at 19:45, in Alvalade.”
Wednesday’s opponents Sweden are bottom of the group, having failed to pick up a single point from their first three matches. Portugal tied with France in Paris in a draw on Sunday and are top of the group on points with the world champions.
In the reverse fixture in September, Ronaldo became the first European player to reach 100 international goals after scoring twice in Portugal’s 2-0 win. The star player has also won five Ballons d’or and four European Golden Shoes, both of which are records for a European player. He is often compared with Lionel Messi, another world great in football, but Ronaldo remains the most popular sports star on social media.