LISBON • Juventus superstar Cristiano Ronaldo left the Portuguese team camp near Lisbon yesterday to fly back to northern Italy on his private jet, local media reported.
He was said to be "fine and sunbathing" on Tuesday after testing positive for Covid-19 which has ruled him out of yesterday's Nations League fixture against Sweden.
The Portuguese federation said earlier on its website that Ronaldo was asymptomatic.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner played in Portugal's goal-less Nations League draw against France in Paris on Sunday.
The rest of the squad were "all negative" after tests on Tuesday, as were the France team, according to their respective federations.
"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."
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's positive test is 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 he 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.
He also risks missing Juve's Champions League clash with Barcelona on Oct 28, which was set to pit him against his old rival Lionel Messi.
Ronaldo's test result reopens the controversy over his departure from Turin for the Portugal training camp, which was, according to the local health authorities in Italy's Piedmont region, a violation of the virus protocol.
Juventus players left to join 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 their unauthorised departure.
Juventus were sent back into isolation when their American midfielder Weston McKennie tested positive for the virus yesterday.
The international break has been marked by a host of players contracting Covid-19. But England manager Gareth Southgate has defended the continuation of international football.
"The reality of the world at the moment is we don't know what the rules will be. In this day and age you have to live from week to week," he said. "There is no reason international football should be a higher risk. We have Jadon (Sancho) and Kieran (Trippier) who travel from abroad but it's easier for us to get the group together initially, then we try to take the right precautions. To this point we've been fortunate."
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
