Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo is still adamant that he feels fit and healthy, slamming the coronavirus test result that will see him miss Wednesday night’s clash with Barcelona.
When the Champions League draw was made, Ronaldo’s reunion with long-time rival Lionel Messi was the pick of the fixtures – but fans will now have to wait until the return fixture at Camp Nou in December to see the pair face off once again.
Ronaldo contracted Covid-19 while on international duty with Portugal on October 13, forcing him to pull out of his nation’s game and self-isolate.
He insists he is asymptomatic and has been feeling fine, but repeated tests have come back positive – including a third test yesterday on the eve of the game with Barca.
As per UEFA rules, Ronaldo cannot take part in the match regardless of his lack of symptoms, though the 35-year-old is far from happy that he will not be able to play.
He uploaded a photo to Instagram a few hours before the match with Barca, writing: ‘Feeling good and healthy! Forza Juve!’
A few minutes later he then commented on the photo, adding: ‘PCR is bullsh*t!’
The former Manchester United star is adamant he followed all the proper protocols with Portugal and is still at a loss to explain how he caught the virus, with Juventus set to play Alvaro Morata up top in his absence against Barca.
Ronaldo’s angry outburst follows on from his sister, Katia Aveiro, launching an astonishing rant following her brother’s diagnosis in which she labelled the coronavirus pandemic a ‘fraud’.
‘If Cristiano Ronaldo has to wake the world up, I have to say he really is a prophet from God. Thank you,’ she wrote on her Instagram stories last week.
‘I think thousands of people believed in the pandemic, in the tests and in the measures that have been taken, just like me.
‘The biggest fraud I’ve seen since I was born. Today I read a phrase which I stand up to applaud, namely: “Enough of a world of puppets.” ‘Please, someone, open your eyes.’
Over 1.1 million people worldwide have lost their lives to coronavirus since the pandemic began, with 367 deaths in the UK yesterday marking the most since May.
