Ronaldo misses Juventus’ Messi showdown in opposition to Barcelona

Juventus striker Cristiano Ronaldo will miss the Champions League group stage conflict with rivals Lionel Messi after the Italian champions did not declare the Portugal worldwide examined destructive in opposition to Barcelona in time.

The Serie A champions introduced that Ronaldo examined constructive for COVID-19 on October 13. In accordance with UEFA minutes, a participant has as much as 24 hours earlier than kick-off to return a destructive check earlier than it may be declared out there.

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With Juve and Barca assembly on Wednesday and no destructive check offered to UEFA, Ronaldo isn’t an possibility.

Ronaldo and Messi, who’ve collectively gained 11 of the final 12 Ballon d’Or awards, have not met for the reason that Portuguese captain left Actual Madrid for Juve in 2018.

This was their first encounter in a Champions League group stage, though they’ll get a second probability on December 12 when the 2 groups face one another once more at Camp Nou.

After two constructive assessments amongst Juve employees, the membership’s gamers had been positioned in fiduciary isolation the place they had been imagined to be quarantined inside their very own bladder. Nonetheless, Ronaldo was one in every of a number of gamers who left early to affix their respective nationwide groups for worldwide break.

Throughout his time in Portugal, though asymptomatic, Ronaldo examined constructive for COVID-19 and returned to Italy in a specifically refurbished ambulance.

Italian Sports activities Minister Vincenzo Spadafora had accused Ronaldo of breaking the nation’s coronavirus protocol – however the 35-year-old denied this declare, calling it a “lie” in an Instagram put up.