Juventus of Italy star, Cristiano Ronaldo has opted to remain in quarantine at his Madeira home in his country, Portugal, after one of his teammates in his Italian Serie A club, Daniele Rugani tested positive for coronavirus.
Megasportsarena.com gathered that the Portuguese star flew back to his homeland for a second visit to his mother, who recently suffered a stroke, before the news broke and must stay put rather than fly back to northern Italy, where the outbreak is at its most rampant.
Ronaldo and Rugani shared a dressing room on Sunday when Juventus beat Inter Milan 2-0 behind closed doors and, after flying home to see his mother in Portugal, the five-time World Footballer of The Year will not return to Turin, but stay in quarantine in his family home.
A picture posted on Instagram by Miralem Pjanic after the game shows Ronaldo and Rugani celebrating the victory in a close huddle with their teammates, but everyone on both sides that were in close contact with the infected player are now required to be in isolation.
Though it is hoped that the spread is limited to only Rugani, as he was an unused substitute for Maurizio Sarri on Juventus’ bench, the Portuguese press plastered updates on their front pages, with Quotidiano Sportivo and Abola both running headlines about Ronaldo being in quarantine.
Nonetheless, ‘CR7’ will not miss anything during his stay in Portugal, as Italy’s government has already suspended all sporting events until at least April 3, even as Juventus are scheduled to face Olympique Lyon of France behind closed doors next Tuesday in the UEFA Champions League, but ii is now widely expected to be postponed.
Within that time, Ronaldo will join Juve’s players, crew and fans praying hard for Rugani, who is the second professional footballer to test positive in Italy, following Nigerian-born Juve youth team player, King Akpan Udoh, while Hannover 96 defender, Timo Hubers is also in quarantine.
Rugani stated on Twitter: “You will have read the news and that’s why I want to reassure all those who are worrying about me, I’m fine. I urge everyone to respect the rules, because this virus makes no distinctions! Let’s do it for ourselves, for our loved ones and for those around us.”
