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CORONAVIRUS-STRICKEN RONALDO GOES SUNBATHING

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Portugal and Juventus superstar Cristiano Ronaldo was said to be “fine and sunbathing” on Tuesday (Oct 13) after testing positive for the coronavirus, which has ruled him out of a midweek Nations League fixture with his country.

Ronaldo “is asymptomatic” and “will not play against Sweden” in Wednesday’s Nations League match, the Portuguese federation said on its website.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner played in Portugal’s goal-less Nations League draw against France in Paris on Sunday.

The federation added that the rest of the Portugal squad were “all negative” after tests on Tuesday morning, as was the France squad, according to the French Football Federation.

“We have respected all the health measures… and yet it happened,” Portugal coach Fernando Santos told a press conference.

“We have been doing tests every day.”

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Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini said he had spoken to Ronaldo.

“He’s fine and was sunbathing, he’ll be back when he’s ready,” he reported.

The 35-year-old striker has scored 101 goals for Portugal and will be a huge absence for his team against Sweden as they aim to hold on to top spot in their group.

His contracting the disease is also a blow for Juventus, as the health protocol in force for Serie A says Ronaldo must self-isolate for 10 days and then record a negative test before he can resume playing.

That means Ronaldo will miss Juve’s Serie A match at Crotone on Saturday and their opening Champions League group stage game at Dynamo Kiev in a week’s time.

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He also risks missing Juve’s Champions League clash with Barcelona on Oct 28, which was set to pit Ronaldo against his old rival Lionel Messi.

Chiellini said: “We footballers know we take risks, and we are ready to take them, trying to minimise them as much as possible with all the necessary precautions.

“We must move forward because we know that football is important economically, and for the social value. In the coming weeks there will be other closures, and I believe football is important to people.

“The real victory is to finish the season, the result is secondary.”

He added: “We cannot stop. We are not worried, but clearly we often talk about it among ourselves with the awareness of what lies ahead.”

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Ronaldo’s test result reopens the controversy over his departure from Turin for the Portugal training camp, which was, according to local health authorities in Italy’s Piedmont region, a violation of the virus protocol.

Ronaldo and other Juventus stars left to join up with their national teams despite the Italian champions’ squad being in isolation after two staff members tested positive for the virus.

Roberto Testi, a director of the regional health authority, said that local prosecutors had been informed of the players’ unauthorised departure.

Ronaldo, who has also starred for Manchester United and Real Madrid, is the latest high-profile footballer to test positive for Covid-19, which has killed over a million people since the start of the pandemic earlier this

Brazil forward Neymar, his Paris Saint-Germain teammate Kylian Mbappe and AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic have also tested positive for the virus in recent weeks.

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Premier League champions Liverpool placed Senegalese forward Sadio Mane and Spanish midfielder Thiago Alcantara in isolation after they tested positive last week.

Also last week, two of Ronaldo’s Portugal teammates – goalkeeper Anthony Lopes and defender Jose Fonte – returned positive tests, forcing them out of the Nations League fixtures.

The international break has been marked by a host of players contracting the virus as it continues its spread worldwide.

The Republic of Ireland had five players ruled out just before their Nations League draw with Wales after one squad member tested positive for the virus.

Meanwhile Ukraine had to draft in 45-year-old assistant coach Oleksandr Shovkovsky for last week’s 7-1 friendly defeat in France as the virus swept through the squad.

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Ukraine also lost 2-1 to Germany on Saturday in the Nations League with 14 players missing either through injury or positive for the virus.

-AFP

Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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Ronaldo reaches one billion followers on social media

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Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo crossed one billion followers across his social media accounts, aided by his newly-launched YouTube channel that has attracted more than 60 million subscribers in just over three weeks.

Ronaldo, who scored his 900th career goal last week to help Portugal beat Croatia 2-1 in the Nations League, is the first human being to reach a billion followers on social media, global media reports said.

“We’ve made history, one billion followers! This is more than just a number, it’s a testament to our shared passion, drive, and love for the game and beyond,” Ronaldo posted on X.

“You’ve been with me every step of the way, through all the highs and the lows. This journey is our journey… thank you for believing in me, for your support, and for being part of my life.”

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The former Manchester United and Real Madrid player reached the milestone with over 639 million followers on Instagram, 170 million on Facebook and 113 million on X.

The 39-year-old topped Forbes’ list of highest-paid athletes this year, with off-field earnings of $60 million, boosted by his large social media following.

Ronaldo’s club Al-Nassr will host Al-Ahli in the Saudi Pro League on Friday.

-Reuters

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Over a million subscribe as Ronaldo launches YouTube channel

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Euro 2024 - Quarter Final - Portugal v France - Hamburg Volksparkstadion, Hamburg, Germany - July 5, 2024 Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo after taking a penalty during the penalty shootout REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer/File photo

Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo launched his YouTube channel on Wednesday and hundreds of thousands of subscribers signed up within a couple of hours.

The 39-year-old five-times Ballon D’Or winner plays for Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr.

“The wait is over. My @YouTube channel is finally here! SIUUUbscribe and join me on this new journey,” Ronaldo posted on his social media accounts.

A couple of hours after posting his first video, 1.69M subscribers had joined he channel.

Ronaldo has 112.5 million followers on the X platform, 170 million on Facebook and 636 million on Instagram.

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The former Real Madrid and Manchester United player is preparing for his team’s Saudi Pro League opener against Al-Raed on Thursday.

-Reuters

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Lionel Messi set to hang boots

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Messi Sets Record Straight Over Hong Kong Absence -

Inter Miami will be the last club Argentina captain Lionel Messi plays for, the 36-year-old forward said on Wednesday, adding he feels “a little bit scared” at the thought of the day he decides to retire.

Messi, a World Cup winner with Argentina in 2022, has a contract with the Major League Soccer side until 2025 following his arrival last summer after a spell with French champions Paris St Germain.

“Inter Miami will be my last club. I love playing football. I enjoy everything even more because I am aware that there is less and less left,” Messi told ESPN.

“I’m not ready to leave football. I’ve done this all my life, I love playing football, I enjoy training, the day-to-day, the matches… And yes, there’s always a little bit of fear that it’s all over.”

The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi is preparing with his national team to defend their Copa America title, with the tournament kicking off on June 20 in the United States.

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Argentina will take on Canada in the opening match before facing Group A rivals Chile on June 25 and Peru four days later.

-Reuters

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